


In Our Blood

by Skye_Willows



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: (Purely down to universe/society mechanics), Additional Tags Within Chapters, All Human AU, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate universe - Mafia, Angst and Feels, Angst with a Happy Ending, Connor & Upgraded Connor | RK900 are Siblings, Elijah Kamski & Gavin Reed are Siblings, Gavin & Niles POV, Implied Rape/Non-con Elements(BUT DOES NOT HAPPEN), Kidnapping, M/M, Minor Character Death, Mob Typical Violence, Multi, Other, alpha!Niles, dark themes, omega!Gavin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-02
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-15 02:00:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 26,736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29801217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skye_Willows/pseuds/Skye_Willows
Summary: Detective Niles Arkait's undercover assignment takes a shocking turn when he's taken captive by the omega-run Jericho mob, and he suddenly finds himself being used as leverage between the gang and DPD.Unbeknownst to Niles, his kidnapping is far from random: he's caught the eye of Jericho's inner circle, and now they plan for him to be of assistance to the upcoming heat of their boss, Gavin Reed.Getting there is far from simple, however, and there is a lot of truth and lies to uncover along the way.[Fic already completed, updates on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays]
Relationships: Background Jerry(s)/Ralph (Detroit: Become Human), Background Markus/North/Simon (Detroit: Become Human), Background Markus/Simon (Detroit: Become Human), Background Original Chloe | RT600/Elijah Kamski, Connor & Upgraded Connor | RK900, Elijah Kamski & Gavin Reed, Hank Anderson & Upgraded Connor | RK900, Tina Chen & Gavin Reed, Upgraded Connor | RK900/Gavin Reed, hinted Hank Anderson/Connor
Comments: 10
Kudos: 52
Collections: DBH AU Big Bang 2020





	1. Snatched

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone!
> 
> So, I think you all know by now that I love twisting up tropes, and I couldn't resist doing something with A/B/O and mafia dynamics as a mashup - this is the result.
> 
> A few things to clear up here before we get into the fic: I have non-con as a tag because of universe mechanics (mostly to do with omega trafficking and alpha runs, you'll see what that is all about very quickly). I just want to stress early that there is **NO** non-con in this fic. When we get to smut later, it is very much consensual. There are some bits that allude to previous events, but there is never any detail and it is very much up to interpretation.
> 
> This fic gets nasty in places, especially when it comes to the violence tag, but I'll put warnings in for each chapter as it comes up. 
> 
> The amazing [Serp](https://twitter.com/serpsurp?s=20) drew the cover piece for this fic and I love it! Please go show them some love on their Twitter.
> 
> So, here we go! Fair warning, Gavin is a piece of shit in this fic (but what do you expect from a mob boss?), and you will all get exposed to that quickly!
> 
> Hope you all enjoy!

_ He didn’t see anything, it was all over in what could be considered the blink of an eye.  _

_ One second he was lying there and trying to keep himself warm against the frigid night air of Detroit in the winter, and the next he was suddenly in pleasured agony. To go from shivering against the icy pavement, the then being overcome with the smothering scent of omegan want was something that he’d never thought to experience.  _

_ Arousal had never been so distracting and  _ **_painful_ ** _ before.  _

_ It was so debilitating that he first thought he was hallucinating, that the hands dragging him away were an illusion of his mind because he felt so heavy, it wasn’t possible that he could be moving. His legs were like lead and the world was swimming, indistinct murmuring around him causing a severe headache.ee _

_ The only time he realised that he’d been taken was when the fog smothering all of his senses began to loosen, and those that he’d spent the best part of three weeks sleeping rough with were all bundled in the back of a van with him. _

**_Shit._ **

* * *

****When he heard the door open and saw Tina walk in, Gavin rolled his eyes at the smirk on her face. It was that time of the year where Tina only had two moods: smug as heck after kicking the shit out of some alphas, or bitchy after she didn’t get her fighting fix. “How many did you catch today?” he sighed while looking over his report from one of their drug supply lines. The DPD and SWAT were starting to sniff around in the wrong places, that would need to be amended soon.

Tina’s smile grew wider as she plopped herself on the edge of Gavin’s table and snatched the tablet, looking at the results. “Allen’s making moves on shipments of enhancers?” she asked as Gavin nabbed it back.

“I’m gonna send North to sort his ass out tomorrow,” Gavin snarled while slamming it down on the table. “You’re smirking. Why?”

Eyes glittering, Tina smiled sunnily at Gavin. “I’ve got you a toy.”

“Fuck’s sake…” Gavin leant back and sighed. “This better be worth it this time. I don't want the hassle of having to push another sex toy provider out of business because they were shit. The moaning from everyone else was  **not** worth it.”

“No, you idiot!” Tina exclaimed while slapping his arm, hard. Had anyone else dared to do that to Gavin, he’d have shot them between the eyes. Tina? Well, everyone needed someone to pound sense into them, Tina was the person designated to kick his ass when he was being a dumbass. “Not that kind of toy. A  **proper** toy.”

Gavin stared at her for a moment before his eyes lit up in realisation.  _ Oh,  _ **_that_ ** _ kind of toy. The best kind.  _ He leant back in his chair and cast his eyes up to the calendar hanging on the wall - four months until his heat. Hmmmm, just long enough for the suspense to be delicious...and also to break in his new alpha plaything. “What flavour are we talking, T? You know I’m picky.”

She grinned widely, looking distinctly proud of herself. “Tall, resting bitch face and snarly. Plenty for you to sink your teeth into. Despite being pumped with the boosters up to his eyeballs, the fucker gave as good as he got. ”

He couldn’t help it, Gavin laughed and stood to embrace his most trusted friend and ally in a crushing hug. “You sure know how to pick ‘em for me, Teenie. Where you got him right now?”

“Tossed him in a room with a slightly lower dosage than what we whacked him with at the pickup, imagine he’ll be rather uncomfortable and dizzy. I know you like a challenge,” she chirped, which led to Gavin smirking in agreement.

“That I do...time to go sample my new toy then.”

The pair left Gavin’s office to walk through the building, towards where the newest shipment of alphas had been brought in. Just after a snatch raid was always the worst, there was always a thrum of excitement at more alphas being brought into the base for omegan heats. Some were excited, others were triggered early at the smells of alphas being forced into their ruts due to the weapons used to subdue them before being brought to Jericho.

Either way, it was far more of a headache than Gavin cared to deal with right now. He trusted Tina, North and Ralph to have a handle on it to sort everyone out and make sure they were adequately suppressed. Once that was handled, Markus could sort out the distribution and pairings for everyone that was due into a heat. That was the major downside of having an omegan-run mob: they couldn’t outrun their biology and had to satisfy the urges at some point. 

Gavin? He was quite content to ride out his monthly heats alone with the company of his hand or toys, or on the  **extremely** rare occasion, he’d enjoy it with someone else. No fucking though, that was something he wouldn’t do unless he absolutely had to. It was rough but doable to last the regular heats alone, prime heats were another thing entirely though. 

He didn’t often try to endure those on his own, that was what his trusted inner circle were for. It helped that he, North and Tina’s prime heats were at the same time – that meant none of them were ever alone. There was only so long that they could last without having the completion of a full fuck, however – toys, hands and mouths could only accomplish so much. That instinct to mate, breed and continue your own bloodline was impossible to ignore. Didn’t matter if that was physically impossible for male omegas like him, the urge was the same.

Mate with an alpha and become theirs. Gavin despised it with everything he had.

That was why he was detesting his upcoming heat so much. It was risky to go through prime heats alone as an omega, the hormonal overload could be dangerous. With every heat that passed without the complete experience, they only got worse and worse until driving the person either to madness, or bodily failure. The maximum that anyone go to was four years unfulfilled before biology dictated that if you were so adamant on ignoring your bloodline, that it would fuck you from the inside out.

Gavin was in his fifth year of ignoring his prime heats. As much as he didn’t want to, he  **needed** to fuck an alpha this time around, spend a week in their company…Which was why he’d entrusted Tina with the special mission of finding an alpha that Gavin could tolerate, rather than those they usually snatched and dragged into Jericho to help out their members. If it came to it he always had his backup plan (though at this point, if he went to the same alpha for the fourth time in his twenty years of having heats, it might as well be his goddamned mate).

He hadn’t expected quite the prize that was waiting for him as he reached one of Jericho’s holding rooms.

The man within was just as Tina had described. Very tall, well-built and decidedly feisty. Despite being well maintained and distracted with their specially designed boosters, Gavin could see that he was relatively aware of the world around them. How curious. That meant either this gem had either been a very recent addition to the ranks of the alphas that wandered the streets…or he didn’t belong there.

From that body definition and the fire beneath those ice-blue eyes, Gavin suspected it was the latter. 

Gavin watched the man trying to stand despite the thick fog of pheromones and shackles binding him to the wall. It was almost admirable how he tried to resist, keep himself proud and defined despite being brought to his knees within Jericho’s walls. Tina was right, this  **was** going to be fun. She sure knew how to pick ‘em.

“Enjoying our hospitality?” Gavin chuckled while wandering towards the other man, smirking when he tried to claw at the metal cuff around his neck which wouldn’t budge. Spying that this dosage of suppressant was about to run out, Gavin turned and nodded to Tina. The other woman smirked as she flipped a series of switches on the wall. The mob boss smiled at seeing the other man be abruptly hauled tight against the wall by the chains, pulled against it like a pinned butterfly.

It was certainly an enticing view; Gavin could appreciate a handsome catch.

“We can’t have you getting too feisty on us,” he chimed as Tina threw two capsules to her boss. Gavin quickly detached the near-empty ones from the binding around the other man’s neck and replaced them with the new versions before snapping the heads off. A groan of distress and arousal escaped from the man spread out before him – Gavin watched in delight as a thin sheen of sweat broke out across his skin while there was an unmistakable bulge in his pants. Almost enough to make the mob boss wince.

Almost, were it not part of the fun. He enjoyed watching alphas squirm.

“Not so fun being at the mercy of your secondary gender, is it?” he hissed out. “Me? I enjoy seeing all of you alpha fuckers on the other side of the fence.”

“Wh-Why…?” the captive groaned out. “I’ve not done anything to-to you…”

“Doesn’t matter to me, all you bastards are the same. Play nice though, and I might take you off our boosters. Being hard and wanting to fuck all the time is not a pleasant state to be in – prove you can be good, and we’ll let you come down.” The promise was met with a defiant glare and it had Gavin smirking. Tina was right, this alpha had some real fight in him. Perfect.

“I-I know all about Jericho. You can’t be…trusted.”

Gavin barked out a harsh laugh as he took a tight fist of the other man’s brown hair and got right into the alpha’s face. “Let’s get one thing straight here,” he hissed tauntingly. “You’re at  **my** mercy here, so here’s some advice. Don’t piss me off – or I promise you, this will be enjoyable compared to what could be in store for you.”

Just to torment the other man, Gavin let loose with some of his own scent to mingle in with the artificially enhanced omegan pheromones. The reaction was instant and he could see the resistance in the other’s posture begin to wane. Gavin smiled at seeing how his captive was subconsciously trying to get closer to the real thing, chasing the scent that was acting almost like a siren’s call. That was part of the magic of their scent weapons: it made alphas all the weaker and eager to submit to true omegan scents. 

It had alphas eating out of the palms of Gavin’s gang, and this time was no different.

Still there was some real spirit about this alpha because his eyes rose to defiantly stare at the other man, even if his body was betraying him. Mind and instincts were at war with each other, and it was delicious to see.

“I like you,” Gavin purred while tightening his fist in the other man’s hair just enough to yank his head back. The metal cuff around his captive’s neck hid most of his scent glands, but Gavin could see just enough to get nice and close; close enough to leave his own scent on his captive. That little mark of ownership until he came back.

“Don’t piss off my people and they won’t keep you strung up here,” Gavin chimed while letting go and stepping back. “Be extra good and we might even let you off the chains.”

“Go fuck yourself.” It was a weak whisper, but it had Gavin grinning. This alpha really wasn’t going to go down without a fight.

“Won’t need to with any luck. Be seeing you around, handsome,” the gangster sing-songed before sauntering out, Tina right on his heels. Gavin’s right hand woman was grinning, but she quickly picked up on the snap change of Gavin’s mood once the cell door slammed behind them. She could tell something about that encounter was on her boss’ mind.

Rather than explain in visible view of their gang, Gavin led them to a quieter corner of the building. It was a section that was under renovations and only the most senior members of Jericho were allowed there. Given that Gavin’s inner circle comprised only a handful of people and he knew where each and every one of them was at that point, Gavin knew they would be alone.

Stepping into the hollow space, he turned to Tina with a raised eyebrow. “Where’d you find him? Surely you realised that he’s nowhere near run down enough compared to the usual alphas you drag in, T?” he asked while leaning back against a nearby wall to pull out a cigarette.

Tina scowled at him as she crossed her arms. “Yeah, but we’ve come across fitter alphas before as part of the homeless raids, this ain’t the first time. Why?”

“He knows who we are,” was all Gavin said before taking a long drag. “Knows we’re Jericho. Call me cynical, but your typical junkie and rough sleeper wouldn’t dare call us out, or challenge us. Whoever you picked up, T, he ain’t one of them.”

That had the female omega’s attention. “Plant?” she theorised.

“Not for us,” Gavin surmised. “If he was there for someone to fetch, it wasn’t us or he’d be a lot more resistant to the pheromones. My guess is he’s a rookie that someone sent into the field, but got caught by you instead. Wouldn’t surprise me if he’s a wannabe from one of the alpha rings.”

“Dipshit,” Tina snorted. “Well, he’s in for a nasty time then. Being doped up on the pheromones for months is gonna be rough.”

Before Gavin could make a response of his own, however, his phone made a distinctive buzzing in his pocket. Smirking at the timing, he pulled it out and looked at the message on the screen expectantly. Sure enough, it was a request from his DPD contact to meet at their usual spot. “Fuckin’ called it,” Gavin gloated while spinning the screen for Tina to see. She glanced over and her eyebrows ticked up in interest at seeing what lay there.

**[Need to talk, Ambassador Bridge lower level. Important shit, can’t hang around long. H]**

“Sounds like you’ve caught a cop, T. Can’t be a coincidence that I’m hearing from the old man within two hours of your latest haul,” Gavin grinned while pocketing his phone again and snubbing out the cigarette.

“You gonna go meet him?” she asked suspiciously.

“Sure, we all know Anderson’s as safe as a cop’s gonna get. Plus, if this is one of his people, he ain’t gonna do anything stupid. Knows how we roll and what we’re willing to do,” Gavin added with a cold tone. “Link up with North and Ralph to get everyone processed, then start getting everyone sectioned off. With our new recruits we’ve got a few more people than usual going through heat at the same time, ain’t got a lot of wriggle room. Make sure anyone who needs an alpha’s got one. Got it?”

“Gotcha,” Tina said slowly as she watched Gavin stride away. “Gav?” He paused long enough to see what his second wanted to air before they parted ways. “If you’re right and this is one of Anderson’s guys, how are you gonna manage to keep him from kicking up shit? He knows too much, I don’t like the power he has.”

Gavin winked at her. “That’s just it, T. He knows enough to keep him in line, and if he has a stake in this…Alphas are too fucking protective for their own good. If your catch means something to the old man, then I’ve got all the ammunition I need to bend him to our whims.”

* * *

It always caught Gavin’s attention how the spot where he met his DPD contact was so serene. Detroit was a shithole, and the places that the gangs fought over weren’t exactly anywhere near desirable for looks. This little outlook though? Had Gavin existed as someone other than a mob boss, he might actually like to just spend some of his days here and watch the world go by. As it was (with much of his life) he was here strictly on business.

How this particular transaction was going to play out, however…that was going to be interesting.

“Anderson,” Gavin greeted while ambling up to the railing that the police lieutenant was leaning against. The alpha’s posture was tense and alert, something that Gavin wasn’t used to seeing on the other man. Hank wasn’t a threat, they both knew that, but the almost hostile scent coming off the other man had Gavin’s attention. “You’re acting like I shit in your favourite drink. Someone get bored bouncing on your dick or something?”

“Don’t play cute with me, Reed,” the alpha snarled. “You fuckers pulled off an alpha run earlier tonight.”

“Yeah, and? You know how we operate, Anderson. We need to do this every month, some of them are bigger than others. What’s the deal with this one that it’s got your panties in a twist?” Gavin sneered while pulling out a cigarette and lighting up. When the other man’s expression actually looked pained, Gavin wondered just how important the person currently locked up in one of his cells was. 

“You have someone. He’s my partner.”

Now Gavin was interested. He raised an eyebrow at the police lieutenant and gave the older man his full attention, a rare privilege. “Go on,” Gavin said slowly as he took a long drag.

Hank took a deep breath before going on. “You know I’m…entangled with one of your informants, have been for a lot of years,” the older man sighed. “He has a twin brother, Niles, who has been my work partner for almost a decade. Been under my wing since he left the academy.”

“Get to the point where this concerns me, Hank. I don’t need to know your whole history with my new toy,” the mobster snipped, but the association between these two had been a long thing. They could read between the lines of each other’s body language, the truth hidden within their scents and words. Gavin didn’t deal in bullshit and Hank knew that.

“I want him back,” the alpha stated slowly, which had Gavin laughing.

“You know I ain’t gonna do that, Anderson,” Gavin scoffed. “Why would I? He’s actually fucking interesting.”

The police lieutenant’s expression looked pained for a second. “He’s a good man, was a good kid when I met him. Not your typical alpha asshole, mostly because his twin’s an omega. Knows the world we live in and what sort of shit goes on in it, Gavin. Whatever crap you get up to with your other ‘guests’…Niles doesn’t deserve that shit, any of it. He’s one of the few good cops out there, and I’m not just gonna sit there and wait for you lot to let him go in fuck knows what state.”

Gavin was intrigued at the passion the older man was speaking with. He’d not often seen the other man be so open, and that had his interest. “Why was he in with a bunch of homeless addicts then?” Gavin demanded while finishing off his cigarette. “Undercover?”

“Yeah, was meant to be intercepting a red ice dealer in that area,” Hank admitted. “Him getting snatched by you fuckers wasn’t part of the damn plan.”

“Glad I could be of such service and make life difficult for you pigs,” the mobster gloated while flicking the smouldering remains of his cigarette at the alpha. The little display didn’t make Hank budge, though Gavin knew it wouldn’t. Both of them had come here to do business after all, but now that he knew the stakes on Hank’s side, Gavin had a better idea of what to demand in return. “What makes you think I’ll just give him up? You coming down here personally and begging for it ain’t gonna do shit.”

“I know that,” Hank admitted in a pained voice. “Can’t promise I can get you anything you want, but I’ll pull every goddamn string I’ve got for that kid. He’s special.”

An amused hum left Gavin at the statement. “Must be for you to hang yourself out to dry,” he commented, entertained. Gavin pretended to contemplate his options for a moment before smirking. “Name, DPD file, history, meaningful contacts. Get me that and I’ll give you my terms in return. Nothing until that comes through to our people. Have your informant drop it off, then I’ll text you a time and place with the arrangements in return. No funny shit.”

“Give me a little more credit than that, Reed. I’ve seen what you’re capable of and I’m not willing to risk putting myself, Con or Niles on the wrong side of it,” Hank muttered. “Fine.” 

Gavin winked at the older alpha before turning to stride away. “Lookin’ forward to hearing from you, Anderson. Don’t keep me waiting.”

Hank growled at him lowly, and the hissed ‘motherfucker’ which followed Gavin into the wind was entirely too pleasing to the mobster’s ears. This was an unexpected surprise, but it held a lot of promise to be fun. He had Anderson wrapped around his little finger, now he just had to contemplate how steep to make his terms.

And conveniently leave out the fact that he was going to be keeping Niles for at least four months, until his heat had passed. He wasn’t going to give up his new prize so easily.


	2. Prisoner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So stoked to see that a few of you are interested in this concept and are buying into the idea of the omega mob! Hopefully your interest stays piqued as this journey goes on!

Niles had only been within Jericho’s walls for a day, and already he thought he might end up losing his mind. 

Being snatched by the group out of the blue had been enough to mess with his mind, but finding himself caught in a constant state of arousal and senses filled with omegan pheromones was his own personal taste of hell, he was sure of it. He’d heard others talk about the Jericho mob’s scent-based weaponry and thought it was down to a lack of preparation that alphas were so overcome by it.

Now that he was on the other side of it, however, Niles was more than aware of just what power it held. He  **hated** being so helpless.

Just that brief instant of time with the omega that came to taunt him had Niles wanting to crawl out of his skin. For that brief moment when the other man released some of his own scent, Niles had found himself craving something organic and reaching out for it almost desperately. How could he want the embrace of one of his captors; his body was desperate for release, it was true, but he wasn’t going to give into his basic instincts like that again. He couldn’t afford to. 

Not only that, but Niles had a very bad feeling as to who that omega might be.

They didn’t know much about the elusive leadership of the Jericho mob, but it was something that had been at the top of the DPD’s list of investigations since they came to major prominence almost five years before. While the group had been part of Detroit’s underworld scene for over a decade (but they weren’t entirely sure how long it had been, best estimate was that the group were formed just over 15 years earlier), they only really became a known threat after the development of their scent weaponry.

To his shame, Niles had to admit that he wouldn’t have taken the group seriously were he not a cop and seen what they were capable of. An omegan run mob? That sounds like something entirely fanciful, given that omegas were known to be naturally vulnerable to alpha pheromones. That was part of the reason that alphas ran their society: biologically they were strongest, most agile and their scent naturally dominated those of betas and omegas. Who in their right mind would have thought that omegas, the natural bottom rung of the ladder, could flip things on their head so dramatically?

Niles certainly wasn’t one of them, nobody had taken them seriously. That was why when they’d taken over the territory of one of the nastiest mobs in Detroit, belonging to the now deceased crime lord Zlatko Andronikov, the DPD had finally sat up and acknowledged them. It was far too later by then, however. Jericho were firmly established and had catapulted themselves into the upper echelons of Detroit’s criminal underworld, beyond the reach of the DPD as a whole. 

It was a mystery that Niles had been on the fringes of helping with. While he and Hank were based in Narcotics, their expertise there meant they were often loaned to the Jericho task force to assist with some of the gang’s money raising schemes. Drugs were their most profitable route, though they were also known to dip into gunrunning and extortion. Several high profile politicians and business individuals within Detroit were under the mob’s thumb, though the question of how that had come about was something unsolved. As yet, no-one had managed to figure out how the group had managed to entrench themselves to the point of being near-untouchable so quickly.

A popular theory was that the group’s leader was someone within the upper tiers of Detroit society, but that was something Niles didn’t believe. The only way that would hold true was if the leader of Jericho was an alpha, and there was no way that an omegan mob would so willingly follow an alpha. From what he’d managed to understand, the group stood dead against alpha dominance and sought to establish that omegas could play a broader role in the framework of their society. Letting an alpha run them defeated that purpose entirely.

Niles suspected that the truth wasn’t too far from that, however, and it was a theory his partner also supported. Whoever Jericho’s leader was, they had some form of contact with a powerful figure who was helping them. Whether it was in bankrolling them or more forceful methods they’d never figured out, but it was something that they’d helped the task force with investigating right before his latest assignment.

While not a fan of undercover work now that he was a detective, Niles had always been highly proficient at it. He knew he’d been the best man for the job, but finding himself in this situation now was more than a little distressing. If he’d known he could be snatched by the Jericho group so out of the blue, he might have done a little more research on their scent-based weapons to prepare himself for the extreme discomfort he was now in.

Though he’d never given it any great thought, the mob stealing alphas from the streets did make sense. It had always been rumour that the gang whisked away alphas who had fallen out of the societal system for ‘biological purposes’ as someone had once put it, but the more popular theory was that they indulged in the place like the Eden Clubs – a safe haven for anyone to enjoy the company of another body for however long was required through a heat or rut. Niles had used their services in the past himself and knew it was very secure, though was not naïve enough to believe that the club wouldn’t do some off the book dealings.

Now though he realised that he’d unintentionally learned the answer to the question of how an omegan mob dealt with heats, and that made him shiver in fright. He dared not think what was coming ahead – and least of all, who it seemed he had caught the eye of.

Niles wasn’t a betting man, but he would have put a fair chunk of money on it being someone of note that was in his cell the day before. 

At least he wasn’t pinned up against the wall anymore, that had left him feeling entirely too vulnerable given he was caught in a perpetual state of arousal. His neck was still locked into a strange device and he could feel the cuff rubbing against his sensitive scent glands, but there was no sense in trying to remove it. Niles wasn’t stupid enough to forfeit the little freedom that he’d so far been granted in a vain attempt to get the thing off. 

The one mercy he could take from his solitude was that whatever was in those capsules had since run out, leaving only the more general scent of the room. It still kept him in a state of arousal, but it wasn’t anywhere near as blinding or needy now. He could take the heightened senses and distraction for a while. Right now he needed to focus on trying to keep his head on straight, and learn what he could in an effort to eventually break out.

How long that would be was anybody’s guess.

* * *

By the time it got to three days later, Niles was thinking that he should be careful what he wished for. Thus far he hadn’t seen another soul, save for the guard that was bringing him all of his meals, and the unending silence was more than a little disconcerting. He could pick up echoes from the walls around him, but it was all so indistinct that he wasn’t sure what was going on around him. Some was probable screaming, others what sounded vaguely like passionate moaning and other times it was almost like taunting whispers. It was getting to him, and he hated it.

Niles was trying his best to focus on home, to remember what he had waiting there for him once he was finally out of this. His twin would no doubt be within arm’s reach at all times, Connor was always fiercely protective of his younger brother, but it wouldn’t surprise him if Hank also stayed over for a while. The older alpha had been looking out for the both of them for years and was close to both Niles and Connor. He missed the older man’s dry sense of humour and the smell of his brother’s latest failed attempt at cooking, Niles had to wonder if Connor had burned everything he attempted to make since his disappearance.

He wanted to believe both of them were safe and healthy, but he knew that his capture by the Jericho mob would potentially drive them mad. Did they even know that he’d been taken by them, or was he simply another missing persons case that was on the desk of another DPD detective? Niles wasn’t sure which would be better for them.

His musings were interrupted by the door of his cell opening up, and Niles instinctively flinched at seeing the Asian woman who was part of the group that had first captured him. She gave a menacing smile before turning her attention back to the door. Her head nodded towards Niles without turning back to him, and that was when he saw two other people enter. One was a blond man who was gazing at him with an inscrutable expression, while the other was of a bronzed tone with compassionate eyes. 

“Make sure he’s not going to keel over, but that’s it,” the Asian woman told them. “If he needs more food or water to make sure that the boosters aren’t damaging him, let me know. He’s to be kept in top shape.”

“Understood,” the more expressive man stated while kneeling down and placing his briefcase down. Niles instinctively backed up against the wall, though he hated himself for doing so, but the blond haired man reached out a reassuring hand to calm Niles down. His face had opened up a lot more, and Niles quickly picked up the scent of a beta. Strangely, that calmed him. 

“It’s okay, we’re not here to hurt you.” The words were soft and warm. Niles’ eyes darted between the door which slammed shut behind the new entrants and the pair that were now locked in here with him. He hated not knowing why they were there. “I’m Simon, and this is Markus. We’re here to make sure you’re in good health.”

“If you call being kept in artificial arousal ‘healthy’ then I’m just peachy,” Niles snapped back. Contrary to what he expected, the other man – Markus – let out a quiet laugh.

“They weren’t kidding, you really are feisty,” Markus smiled while opening the briefcase and spinning it around for Niles to see the contents. It was a basic medical kit, and all of it appeared above board. The detective slumped a little in relief. “In case you are wondering, yes I do know what I’m doing. I’m a medic, and I wanted to give you a very quick check up.”

“Why?” The question was meant to be a lot harsher than it came out. Instead Niles just sounded very tired and worn out, which to be honest was much closer to his current physical and mental state. 

Simon rested his hand on Niles’ knee and his scent grew stronger in reassurance. It wasn’t the same unwinding feeling that Niles would get from an omega, but it did help him to calm his racing mind for the first time in days. “You might be an unwilling guest here, but that doesn’t mean anyone here wants you to suffer,” Simon assured. “We’re under instructions to ensure that you’re kept in good health.”

Orders. So these two were part of Jericho’s mob, but he was beyond confused with how a beta and a, he could only guess, alpha (if Markus was telling the truth about being a licenced medic) came to be part of the group. “I thought Jericho was omegan run? How come a beta and alpha are helping them?”

Markus turned wise eyes to the detective and Niles suddenly wondered if he’d said too much. “There’s a lot more to Jericho than meets the eye, but you’ll probably find that out yourself soon enough,” the alpha said while pulling out a stethoscope. “May I?”

This had to be one of the strangest medical exams Niles had ever been through. Markus was extra careful with his every step and made sure to have Niles’ consent before he ever touched the detective. It was definitely not what Niles expected, given what he presumed about why he’d been taken in the first place. Simon didn’t do much throughout, but he kept up a steady stream of his scent to make sure that Niles wasn’t so on edge. It actually masked the artificial smell of the room and allowed him some relief from the tension that he’d been suffering from for days now. The break was absolute bliss.

Markus took some readings on Niles’ heart, lungs and reactions, before he drew three vials of blood. That was the part Niles had been so apprehensive of, fearing that he was about to be injected with something, but the medic made a show of pumping all the air out each syringe before pulling some blood. Niles watched in fascination then as Markus wiped what looked to be rubbing alcohol against his scent glands, which came back as a blue colour. The other alpha scowled and then noted something down on his tablet.

“I’ll tell them to lower the dosage of the boosters on you, your systems are starting to react quite badly to them,” Markus spoke quietly. “Are you naturally very susceptible to other pheromones?”

Niles nodded in confirmation, though it seemed that the other alpha had worked that out already. “Yes, I have a hyper focused sense of smell. I normally take medication to keep my body under control, but I’ve not had it for some time. It’s been making this…stuff, very difficult on me.”

“I can tell. Your heart rate is dangerously high considering the dosage and I’m not willing to let you stay there for an extended period of time.” Markus turned to Simon and nodded. “Thank you for letting me examine you, I need to report my findings. Simon will stay here until I return, so please bear with me.” 

Markus then left, which meant Niles was left alone in his cell with Simon. While he didn’t trust the beta to be a potential friendly face, there was no doubting the other man’s actions had been non-threatening. In fact, Simon had been making sure that Niles didn’t freak out while being checked by Markus, something that Niles was quite grateful for. Feeling so vulnerable, he hated the thought of anyone else touching him. “That wasn’t how I expected that to go down,” Niles admitted.

Simon laughed lightly. “I’m not surprised, but the honest truth is that you shouldn’t have been left quite so crippled by the boosters. The initial dose, yes, is meant to leave alphas completely incapacitated. After that it’s meant to keep alphas in a slightly heightened state, but nothing that is dangerous. I’m disappointed that nobody has checked before now to see that you were in such distress.”

“Why would they care? I’m under no illusions as to why I’m here.” Now the venom leaked out through Niles’ voice, but he was surprised by the resigned smile on Simon’s face. 

“I suppose that’s true. You’re not quite as oblivious as the others, you know a different part of the story. It’ll be interesting to see what else you learn of it.”

Niles wanted to ask what Simon meant by that, but his blood then ran cold when Markus returned to the cell with more of the capsules in his hand. Terror ran through Niles at the thought of being put under those artificial scents again, he wasn’t going to just let them do it. His fighting instincts kicked in, lashing out at Simon next to him, but he quickly found himself being pinned up against the wall again. 

An angry and devastated howl tore from Niles’ throat as he found himself helpless once more, and frustrated tears built in his eyes as he felt practised hands change the pods along the binding on his neck. For a second he’d thought that these two weren’t going to hurt him, but clearly it was all a ploy.

After a few seconds, Niles then noticed that he wasn’t overcome with quite the same dizzying flood of hormones and arousal. It was still in his system, fogging his senses, but now it wasn’t leaving him in pain. More an inconvenience and reminder rather than crippling. His breath started to level out as the panic in his chest loosened.

“Don’t worry, Niles, you won’t be hurt. That’s not why we’re here.”

Wide eyes spun to both Markus as Simon, breath catching in Niles’ throat again. “How do you know my name?” he whispered.

“That’s not all we know, detective,” Simon smiled, “but you’ll learn more soon. Someone will be here soon, you won’t be left alone for so long again, we promise.”

Niles started screaming after them as the pair left, demanding to know how they had not only learned his identity, but also that he was a cop. Fear for Connor and Hank clenched in his chest and the previous panic rose up again, unbidden. If they knew who he was, then those nearest and dearest to him might be in danger.

The chains keeping him pinned to the wall loosened and Niles slumped to the floor like a limp puppet. It had been so much and he was just  **tired.**

With nothing else to do, he closed his eyes and surrendered to sleep.

* * *

Gavin was busy reading up on some reports when he heard a sharp knock at his door. Surprised by the demanding nature of it, he scowled at the wood before barking out in reply. “Don’t just stand outside and become part of the scenery then!” The mobster’s expression flipped to intrigue when he saw that it was Markus who entered, with Simon not far behind him. “How is he then?” he asked, curious.

“A goddamned mess,” Markus bit out. “Can’t believe nobody checked on him enough for three days to see that he’s hypersensitive! The poor bastard’s been in pain for days and is already paranoid. If you’d asked me to check out just some random junkie on the street, they’d be in better shape than Niles is!”

That caused Gavin’s face to harden. Markus was one of the very few alphas that Gavin would let speak to him like that. One, because he was a damn good medic and took great care of all their members, and two, because Markus was many things but he wasn’t insubordinate. The anger in his voice wasn’t directed at Gavin, the mob boss knew that. Markus was, all things considered when he was mob payroll, very humane. He hated to see anyone in pain. 

“Did you fix it?” Gavin asked coldly, watching Markus reined himself in.

“Yeah, it’s fixed. Lowered the dosages on the capsules so that he’s where he should have been, but he’s already in a mess. If you want my honest opinion, which I know you’ll take on board but probably choose to ignore, let him off the chains at least. Niles is already frayed and if you keep this up, you’re going to shatter him. Then what good would he be?” Markus asked pointedly. 

While normally Gavin would do what he liked despite Markus’ recommendation, he stopped and thought about it this time. There was an added stake here, Niles wasn’t just anyone that Jericho had caught. Gavin needed him to have enough awareness for when his heat came around in just under four months. Breaking the man into a million pieces was not going to do him any favours. “Simon, tell Ralph to shift the detective to a different cell. Something at least habitable, though away from the main operation.”

Simon nodded and left out the door, but Markus kept a steady stare on Gavin. “You gonna keep a closer eye on him?” the medic challenged.

“Me? Nah, too soon for me to be sticking my nose in. I need to learn what this detective knows about Jericho before I show my hand properly,” Gavin told the other man. “I’ll let North keep an eye on him now that she’s less tangled up with trying to keep the DPD on the runaround. We’ve got enough alphas for the next two months now, can wind down our gathering operation until the next wave of heats.”

“In that case, I’ll make a request,” Markus started, waiting for the nod from the mob boss to continue. “At least shift him to the wrist cuffs for the boosters? He confirmed to me what I saw in his medical records, which shows hypersensitivity to any pheromones. The wrist cuffs will be less dangerous and reduce the risk of overload. Niles is already showing signs of going into a trauma rut if things don’t improve.”

As much as Gavin hated alphas, he hadn’t meant to cause that. Any ruts or heats caused from mental trauma were awful. Gavin stood up and wandered to the window of his office to look at the night sky before answering Markus. “Keep a close eye on him for the next two days and I’ll see how long it’ll take me to get a hold of his medication. If I can’t find that, I’ll switch him to the wrist cuffs. Until then he stays in the collar.”

Markus sighed but didn’t argue, then taking his leave when Gavin didn’t say anything else. Now left in relative silence, the mobster thought over what Markus had said. Despite Jericho’s reputation, Gavin didn’t want to torture the captive detective for multiple reasons. One, that would be counter intuitive to his plan. Two, out of a long standing respect for Anderson, he didn’t want to hurt someone that clearly meant so much to him. Three, Hank had mentioned that Niles’ twin was a Jericho informant. Not only did Gavin not want to risk losing a source of information, he also didn’t want to eliminate someone who was at risk of flipping.

And most importantly, shattering someone like that wasn’t his style. He might want to break the prideful alpha streak and programmed biases surrounding secondary genders, but not Niles’ sanity. That was a step too far.

A more distinctive nod at the door was all the warning Gavin got before he found himself with company in the form of Tina, but he didn’t even need to turn around to know that she had a severe expression on her face. “Who’s been guarding him?” Gavin demanded.

“Some kids who are eager to make a name for themselves,” she told him sternly. 

“They’ve made a name for themselves all right,” Gavin hissed while turning around. “A name on their gravestones. Take care of them and get someone a bit more trustworthy on his new rotation, I don’t want another fuck up like this.”

“You got it,” Tina told him before holding out another tablet for him to take. “The drop from Anderson’s informant with Niles’ DPD records went off without a hitch. We’ve got the full picture now for if you want to give them the demands.”

Gavin took the tablet and skimmed it for a few seconds before dropping it on his desk. “Give it two days and then make the handover. Do it as a direct ransom demand to the DPD rather than via Anderson, that’ll give us the clout with the extra demands. This isn’t a cheap trade, after all.”

Tina looked thoughtful for a second. “That’s gonna put a much bigger target on our backs. You sure you want to publicise that we have him? Thus far we’ve always stayed out of the direct firing line.”

“Might as well show those fuckers who has the real power,” the mob boss smirked while pulling out the booster capsules from the pocket on his thigh. “They think that just because we’re a group of omegas that we’ll roll over at the first sign of shit going down; they’ve got no idea who they’re messing with. Make it clear to them that if they want their detective back alive, they’ll play by our rules. If they step outta line, kick them back into shape.”

“Done.” Tina then smiled as she turned her eyes towards the liquor cabinet at the side of Gavin’s office. “By the way, you’re being asked to bring out the good shit at midnight. Thought that might brighten your day.”

It very much did and Gavin smiled at the news. Far too long had passed since he’d managed a drink with his brother, so it would be a great opportunity for them to hash out their latest plans. “Tell Eli to take the usual way in and head up here. I’ll have whatever he wants on ice and ready for him.”

Tina winked at Gavin as she left, setting off for her latest tasks as Gavin picked up the tablet of Niles’ DPD files that he’d dropped earlier. Now that he’d found out about his detective’s weakness with scents and dependence on medication, Gavin had to wonder how someone like Niles managed to get anywhere in the DPD. There were very few institutions that were less corrupt, and the fact that an alpha who had a prominent weakness was able to make a name for himself had Gavin curious. Was it stubbornness, contacts, or threats that helped Niles to make it to his current rank?

The answer to that was likely to shape Gavin’s plans concerning the detective once his heat had passed and he planned his next moves. Having a DPD officer as one of his captives was collateral that Gavin was not going to give up until he’d wrung the full value out of him.

_ Let’s see who lurks behind that pretty face, Detective. _


	3. Connections

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time for a bigger insight into Gavin the mob boss! Plus a glimpse into the workings of Jericho and the underworld more generally 😇

Gavin started grinning from ear to ear as he heard the door to his office open at just gone midnight. There were very few people who could access his floor, even fewer who were brave enough to knock on the barrier to his work space. Only one was welcome to wander in anytime he felt like it, and right now Gavin was delighted to see him. “Not like you to just turn up on my turf, Eli,” the omega stated while standing to embrace his brother.

Elijah pulled back and raised an eyebrow at the other man. “Am I not allowed to amble down to this side of the city and check in on my baby brother?” he snarked back, laughing when Gavin swiped at his shoulder playfully.

“I am three minutes younger, that hardly counts as ‘baby’,” Gavin sighed while walking over to the dresser at the side of the room and pulling out some chilled glasses. “What’s your drink of choice tonight?”

Humming in contemplation, Elijah set down the briefcase he was carrying and laid his jacket over the side of a plush chair. “Do you have any of the Louis XIII left? If so, I think we should enjoy the remains.”

“As a matter of fact, there’s enough for two glasses left.” Gavin quickly poured out the remains of the expensive cognac for he and his brother to sip on, and made his way to the chairs at the side of the room. “As requested.”

“I’m so glad that I’ve managed to convince you to enjoy the finer liquors in life,” Elijah smiled while taking the glass gratefully. “To your continued success, my twin,” he toasted.

Gavin chuckled while clinking the glasses together. “Likewise, Eli.” Once they’d both taken a sip, Gavin got himself comfortable while eyeing up the briefcase on the floor. “I take it this visit is both for personal and business reasons?”

Elijah nodded while revealing the contents of the briefcase. “You would think right, Gavin, and I’m sure that some of this will be of great interest to you with your new war on the DPD.”

“War on the DPD?” Gavin asked in confusion.

“Oh, your inside man hasn’t informed you then? They’ve escalated their response to the Jericho mob as a result of you capturing one of their most promising detectives.” Elijah took another sip as he leant back in his chair. “I must say, I did not foresee that move. Deliberate or accidental?”

“Would love to say it was intended, but Tina just happened to come across him while on an alpha run. I’m never one to turn down an opportunity though, so I might be turning the screw on them,” Gavin smirked to his brother. 

The older twin hummed in contemplation. “Well, you might be interested to see this then.” Elijah then passed a tablet over to Gavin with a list of reports and contacts. “It seems that your delightful detective is in the sights of the FBI, or at the very least is known to them. His name has come up a lot in chatter over the past few days. Are you sure he isn’t a plant?”

Gavin’s face grew more serious as he took the device and skimmed through the contents, but it was clear from everything that there was no reason to make a direct link between Niles and the FBI. Elijah was right in that he was known to the bureau, but everything pointed towards a potential recruit rather than an operative. “Nothing flagged on the details we were sent from the DPD and we’ve not picked up any chatter. Seems like we’ve just stumbled upon some hotter property than it first appeared.”

“You do have a habit of getting in over your head,” Elijah sighed fondly. “What list of demands have you drawn up then? Just so that I can warn my people to keep an eye out for any transactions.”

“Mostly intelligence and records, a couple of programs that we can use for future projects, along with a rather sizable sum of money. Far more than the standard hush amount,” Gavin told his twin while pulling out his own tablet to bring up the file containing all of Jericho’s conditions for the release of one Detective Niles Richard Arkait. “Enough to leave them scrabbling around for a long time.”

“Oh, how fascinating. My own people are looking for this program to increase our monitoring of the other crime families. I might ask you to share once it is in your hands, via the appropriate channels and with the correct compensation, of course,” Elijah smiled while handing it back over. “Sounds to me like you’re deliberately trying to price them out of range.”

Gavin’s smile took on a wicked edge as took another sip of his drink. “I haven’t the slightest idea what you mean, Eli,” he winked before flipping to another screen. “He’s simply interesting.”

Elijah’s own eyes lit up in intrigue. “Very much so. An alpha with hypersensitivity to scents, who is on a prescription of blockers and neutralisers, is part of the DPD elite along with being on the FBI’s radar? You really have happened across a gem. Interesting to see that there’s no evidence of who his sponsor is, since an alpha so heavily compromised wouldn’t be able to reach those ranks alone.”

“Exactly what I was thinking. At the moment the only connection I’ve got is to Anderson, but I don’t think even he’s got enough clout to pull that off. My guess is that the Arkait family has links somewhere, but I’m not sure. By a bizarre twist of fate, the detective’s twin is actually a Jericho informant. I’ve asked North to set up a meeting with him.”

“If the Arkaits do have links to the upper echelons then it’s not a prominent one. I’d know as a Kamski, after all,” Elijah mused before setting up a transfer between both devices. “I’ll also research this at my end privately, as I do not like for anything to be left to chance. If he does have links I will ensure they don’t hamper your exchange efforts.”

“I appreciate that,” Gavin said warmly before turning his attention back to another topic. “How are things with you and Chloe? Well?”

“Indeed.” Elijah’s smile then turned softer. “We’re looking to adopt once things with CyberLife settle down, and I am eager to see who we can find.” 

That had Gavin’s eyes lighting up in delight. “Congratulations, I didn’t know you were considering it. Perhaps I should have realised given our own history that you might try the adoption route, but I didn’t expect you both to embark upon it so soon after mating.”

Elijah chuckled. “It is somewhat of a surprise, and a few of my inner circle have questioned whether I should do this after such a whirlwind romance, but I am more than happy to bat away such concerns. Chloe is the perfect mate for me, and she’s just as keen to give some lonely children a chance. She’s asked to meet you, by the way, since we’re now a mated pair. I wasn’t sure how you would feel about that.”

Gavin’s face turned a little more serious. “How much does she know?” he asked warily. Gavin didn’t just mean about his and Elijah’s history, which was complicated enough, but also the broader history of everything – from Gavin as leader of Jericho, to Elijah as the head of the Kamski alpha bloodline and thus all of the implications in between.

“More than most, but not everything. Some I would not share without full disclosure to you first,” Elijah confirmed. “But given that she’s involved in the family business now, she’s slowly learning about the mechanics of upper society. I believe it’s only a matter of time before your name appears via that and I would rather introduce her to  **you** first, as opposed to your reputation.”

“Hmmmm, I’ll think about it. Got a lot of shit to sort out before my prime heat though. Once that’s taken care of, I’ll be able to turn my attention to that. Might even leave Tina in charge for a few days to come visit?” the younger twin offered.

Elijah smiled while taking another sip from his glass. “I would be delighted, Gavin.”

The twins talked for almost three hours before they decided to call it a night. Gavin always hated to watch his brother leave, but duties only allowed them a small window of time before reality caught up again. They both had too many battles to fight, too many foes to keep in line, that could afford them the time to reminisce for long. “Gavin, if I may before I leave,” Elijah started. “I would say to be cautious with whatever game you're playing with this Detective Arkait. Something about all this is not sitting well with me, and that unknown factor is dangerous.”

“You and me both, Eli. Don’t worry, I’m making sure to not get lax with this one. I know what I’m getting into,” Gavin chuckled. “As soon as I get part of the ransom from the DPD, I’ll let you know what it entails for you. Keep in touch.”

“As always, dear brother. Try not to piss off too many people,” Elijah chimed while walking away. 

“No promises, Eli! That’s half the fun of running a mob,” Gavin snarked back.

* * *

The next day saw Gavin be surprised by an appearance from North. While the two of them were fiercely close, he didn’t see as much of the female omega since she ran the enforcement arm of his mob. Mostly they communicated via video message since she was so busy, it wasn’t often that she personally came up to see him in his office. When she entered after knocking, Gavin’s eyebrow almost hit the ceiling. “Is the world fucking ending, or are you here just because you know it’ll give me a heart attack?” he joked.

North rolled her eyes while flipping him off with a smirk. “You’re still as much of a drama queen as ever,” she chuckled while plopping herself down in one of the chairs and resting her feet up on his desk. Gavin scowled and kicked them with one of his own, but when North simply replaced them with a knowing smile, he gave up. “Actually, I’m here to ask if you were trying to give  **me** a heart attack. You could’ve warned me that the new captive that Markus was chewing me out about is the doppelganger of one of my best informants!”

Gavin stared at her for a second before what North was on about clicked. “So, the detective’s twin looks like him, does he?”

Scoffing, North flipped her phone around to let Gavin see an image of her informant – and he had to admit that the first picture looked a hell of a lot like Niles. It was only once North scrolled along that Gavin realised the other Arkait twin was of a slightly different build, jawline and had brown eyes instead of blue. “You could say,” North sighed. “Connor mentioned that he had links to the DPD, I didn’t think he was going behind his own twin’s back.”

Huh, that Gavin didn’t expect. Seemed like North’s informant had left out a massive chunk of his real links to the group, but it did make sense. Just because Anderson knew about the bonds between the Jericho leadership didn’t mean that he’d passed any of that knowledge on, even for someone else who was an aid to the mob. “He’s not got an in with just his twin. More likely that most of his shit comes from Anderson, turns out that the old man’s partner is who we have for an extended stay.”

North’s eyebrow rose and she pulled out a knife to twirl it between her hands. “No shit? Huh, guess that makes sense now how Connor’s always given me such good shit if Anderson’s behind it. We’re on about the same Anderson here, yeah? Old git that we couldn’t shake, even if we wanted to?”

Gavin laughed at the description, knowing that North was soft on the police lieutenant. A lot of the Jericho inner circle had a fondness for the older alpha after years of building trust. “Yes, I’m on about that sassy bastard,” Gavin chuckled before something occurred to him. “Wait, why was Markus bitching to you about Niles? What gives?”

“He was venting about trying to get some prescription drugs for him, his usual source was being stubborn so he called me in for help. I got curious about our new guest and all the trouble Markus was going to, so I got nosey. About got the shock of my life when I saw him.” North’s expression turned slightly harder. “It is because we’ve got his twin that you asked for me to not only set up the ransom drop with Connor, but also that you wanted to do it personally?”

“Yes and no. I’m also curious to find out more about a pain that Anderson’s been keeping an eye on for over a decade, apparently, and I want to know more about Niles’ twin. Might do more to win him on side,” Gavin told her plainly.

“Huh, so Tina wasn’t kidding about you wanting him for your prime heat. Well he is damn pretty, I’ve always thought that of Connor so I can see the appeal.”

Gavin snorted while kicking at North’s foot again. “You’re goddamned shameless,” he laughed as the female omega easily caught the pocket knife that Gavin tossed her. She also started twirling that one around as they talked, keeping her fingers busy. Gavin knew what she was like without something to keep her hands occupied. “Got about another three months before I’ve got to commit to anything, but I’m keeping my options open,” was all he said. “You got everything set for yours?”

“Close enough,” North shrugged. “Just need to set up a couple more people to look after business while I’m out. You sure that Elijah’s triggers are gonna work and I’m really gonna go into heat early?”

“He bought out the company that developed it for a reason, wouldn’t sink all those resources into it without a damn good reason,” Gavin replied pointedly. “We need to figure out a way to make sure that you, Teenie and I aren’t out of action at the same time since I can’t avoid shit this year. While we’re on that; if you change your mind, we can hook you up with some suppressants to at least make it a bit more bearable if you want to ignore it. You’re only on year two.”

North winked at him. “Nah, I’m all good. I’ve got someone to take care of me, so I’m set. I’ve been ignoring heats for a while now, it’ll be nice to actually go wild for a change.” Gavin chuckled and brought out another box to toss at her, which the woman sneered at. “If you were gonna get me birth control, at least shell out for the good shit.”

“What would be the point of a joke present if I sank some money into it?” the boss sneered, only to laugh harder when North kicked back at him from across the table. “All right, hint taken. Next time I’ll just get you some condoms instead.”

“Awww, some balloons for me to blow up? I can celebrate then,” North snarked while standing and tossing Gavin back his knife. “So, now that I’ve found out about our guest properly, when you wanting to set up this meeting with Connor? He’s cagey, part of what makes him so good, but he’s sharp. The minute you start talking to him about Niles, he’s probably gonna figure out who you are. Sure you wanna take that risk?”

“Won’t be a risk once I give Anderson a rundown of what the deal is. I’ll get him to talk Connor round, make sure he’s not gonna do anything rash. I get the feeling that Anderson’s already gonna have warned him about the incoming drop though. The old man’ll have worked out that we’ll be doing something a bit more public with our ransom demands to keep him freed up,” Gavin explained.

“Suit yourself, your neck on the block,” North shrugged. “What about his twin? From what Markus said, he’s in a mess.”

Gavin stood and tossed another tablet at North. “Already taken care of, and I’ve got some execution orders for you.” Scowling, North looked at the faces on the screen before staring at Gavin again. “Dump them somewhere quiet, then I need you to go out into the field to put the squeeze on Allen and his merry band. He’s sniffing around the wrong places and I don’t want that fucker screwing up our supply lines before our deal next month. I’ll be getting Ralph to make sure Niles is moved somewhere quieter.”

“Fine,” North agreed while passing the tablet back. “We’ll need a catch up after you’ve met Connor, by the way. Jerry finally got back in touch and said he’s got some pretty solid intel on another ring in the city we might want to break. Apparently it’s got some pretty serious links though.”

Looking stern, Gavin nodded. “All right. Let me know once you’ve got the meeting with Connor arranged, go with one of the B tier sites. I’ll make myself available.”

“Done. Catch you later, boss.” North gave a little salute as she wandered off, and Gavin sighed when she slammed the door closed behind her. That was  **another** door he was going to have replaced courtesy of his right hand spitfire then. Based on what his chief enforcer told the mob boss about the other Arkait twin, it sounded like Connor was both a wildcard and an ally, and that was an unsettling combination. How kindly he’d taken to his twin disappearance was anyone’s guess. 

Gavin knew that if anyone had messed with his twin he’d be merciless…so he’d have to be at his charming best if this meet was going to go the way he wanted it to willingly, and not be forced in that direction.

* * *

The meeting was set up very quickly, only four hours later. After checking in with Markus to make sure that Niles’ medications were going to arrive without any further hassle (though he was going to need to find a new reliable supplier for a lot of his members’ prescriptions. Williams was a fuckwad, nobody would miss him – and he’d heard good things about another doctor over in Ferndale with the first name of Lucy, couldn’t be too many of them), Gavin then made sure to have a long phone conversation with Anderson about the upcoming meeting. 

It was only then that Gavin finally found out the missing piece of the puzzle when it came to the trio of Anderson, Connor and Niles, along with why Hank hadn’t mentioned his long-term links with the group. Gavin was a bastard when it came to many things but he wasn’t going to do anything to endanger a potential romance for the older man, so it helped Gavin to re-evaluate some of the arguments he was going to use.

Upon reaching the underpass and spying the old food truck that was one of Anderson’s favourite meetups, Gavin spied his target waiting beside an older car.  _ Hah, figured that Anderson would be fond of someone with just as battered a ride as he had,  _ Gavin thought in amusement as he nodded for his escorts to hang back just far enough to not be invasive. They’d be on hand of if anything stupid came up, and of course Gavin had extras behind Connor for if worst came to the absolute worst, but he doubted that would be necessary.

Cold brown eyes followed Gavin’s form as the mob boss strode closer, and it had him smirking in amusement. “You and your twin really are similar,” Gavin chuckled. “North wasn’t kidding about how easy it would be to mistake you two from a distance.”

“We get that a lot,” Connor snipped, keeping his posture ram rod straight. Not one for small talk then. “I take it I’m here to deliver my own brother’s ransom note to the DPD?”

A snort rose from Gavin and he showed a thumb drive to Connor. “Not bad, dipshit. If I hadn’t known your twin was the detective and that you were an omega, I’d have thought you’d be the investigative one.”

“No room for omegas to get into law enforcement, but I can make do with favours for friends. Besides, I can still help my twin from the background if he ever needs it, just because I’m not allowed into the profession doesn’t mean I don’t have the skills.” Connor’s eyes narrowed further on the mob boss. “Why use him as a bargaining chip? You already get enough information from me via my contacts in the DPD, not to mention whoever else you’re paying on the inside.”

“Now that would be telling,” Gavin winked nastily. “Don’t worry, your twin is in very capable hands right now. Don’t do anything stupid and he’ll stay that way. I’m sure you know from not only your dealings with us, but also from your sources, that messing with Jericho is never a good idea.”

Fear was a great factor to play into and Gavin was pleased when he saw the other omega’s posture slowly change from furious to accepting. Anderson had played his part and amped up the threat to Niles’ life. Connor wasn’t going to endanger that with a hairbrained idea. Realising that Connor was going to play ball, Gavin smirked wider and tossed the drive over to him. “That’s the full ransom list. Make sure the DPD finds it on their own devices, no obvious connections who it came from. I’m sure you’ll find out what’s on there soon enough.”

Connor’s glare turned a shade icier but he didn’t argue, pocketing the drive with a curt nod. “Will I get to see him?”

Gavin wasn’t expecting the other man to be so direct, but it was a fair question. “Maybe, depends how much the DPD plays ball. If they aren’t assholes and give me some of what I want, I’ll give them limited contact.”

“I wasn’t on about the DPD. Will  **I** get to see my brother?”

Green-grey eyes turned amused at the fiery temperament and Gavin chuckled. “I’m not an entirely heartless monster, you’ll know that or you wouldn’t be a willing informant for Jericho.” Part of the defiant streak in Connor eased, but his stare was no less intense. “Updates will come, and I’ll get North to set you up with a burner when contact is safe. Nothing physical, but you’ll get to talk.”

The other man’s tensions eased a lot more and Connor nodded. He might not be saying it, but Gavin could see he was grateful. “Is he safe? Do you know that he’s-”

“Hypersensitive, we’ve got a handle on it,” Gavin interrupted. “Already working on the meds, they should be with us tomorrow. He’s on the boosters but a modified dosage. Your twin is fully conscious and not being tortured, if that’s what you’re getting at.”

Connor’s gaze turned piercing again. “You snatched him as part of an alpha run. Forgive me for being sceptical of him being ‘safe’.”

Gavin snorted in amusement. “I can see why people are fond of you,” he mused. Connor’s expression scrunched in confusion for a second before the mobster went on. “There’s a much grander plan in motion for your twin, he’s not part of the general program. He isn’t going to be an option for just anyone’s heat, if that’s what you were looking to hear.”

“That’s not a denial of him being at risk, but it’s something I guess,” Connor grumbled.

“Knew you’d read between the lines, dipshit,” Gavin winked. “North wasn’t kidding, you are pretty damn sharp.” The mob boss then hummed a little more in thought. “Tell you what. Prove to me that you’re loyal through and through, then we can talk about you getting more frequent updates about your twin. No contact still, but I’m open to negotiation of boundaries.”

The offer clearly surprised Connor and the other man’s demeanour changed. “I…you want me to become part of Jericho entirely?”

“Didn’t say that, you’re a damn good informant from what I hear from North and I ain’t willing to lose a reliable source of information. You could be selling shit to more than just us though, and that’s not something I’d stand for in someone loyal to us. Anyone who’s willing to trade what they know to a gang is just as likely to turn into a snitch once a deal’s not as sweet.” Connor’s face morphed into understanding. “Show you’ve actually got some fealty, then we’ll talk more.”

“…I understand.”

Gavin smirked at the accession and chuckled. “Good, glad we’re on the same page. Be a good boy and I think we’ll get on just swimmingly. Make the drop and report back, then we can see where your services are also required. I can guarantee you that you’ll be making better money as one of our best rather than what you get from being a lab assistant. Make this worth my while, and I’ll make it worth yours too.”

Connor’s stare was inscrutable but he didn’t argue, which Gavin took as his cue to leave. With a nod to the men behind Connor, the group split apart to start making their way back to Jericho. Gavin contemplated his meeting with the informant and liked what he’d seen. The twins seemed to be quite similar and if Niles was as sharp as Connor, the detective might be just as willing to bend and negotiate with the right incentive. 

So far, so good. These next few months promised to be interesting.


	4. Introductions

As much as Niles hated to accept any seeming ‘charity’ from a bunch of mobsters, he couldn’t deny that things had definitely improved since Markus and Simon’s first visit. 

While he was in a permanent state of fogginess, almost like being drunk without the high of alcohol, and vaguely stuck in a state of heightened arousal from having the synthetic smell of an omega jammed in his nose, it wasn’t anything like those first three days. He could deal with discomfort, it was worse while he was in his ruts to be perfectly honest. Finding the perfect doses of his medication being delivered to his new cell was beyond disturbing, but he did feel better for it. How Jericho managed to find that information out, however, was terrifying.

Niles knew the group had connections, but finding out such sensitive medical information (and with such ease) gave Niles the chills. If they could learn that so fast, then there was no telling what else about his life they could uncover. 

It wasn’t something that he dwelled on for long, however, as it soon became clear that his new home was in a far busier section of this…wherever it was. Niles wasn’t convinced he could call it a base or hideout from what little he’d seen (and heard as he was being moved with a bag over his head), but it seemed like more than a holding area from the amount of people there.

Firstly, his guards had completely changed. The two disinterested and taunting omegas from before had been replaced with someone that positively terrified Nines, simply for how it seemed like he’d lost his mind. Potent scarring was down the whole left side of the omega’s face and his eyes had a mad glint to them, but he was never threatening or dangerous towards Niles. In fact, the detective had to say that he was sort of…sweet? 

Only two days had gone by before Niles learned that his new guard’s name was Ralph from Simon, who had become a regular visitor to his cell. Niles had a lot more of them now.

Markus continually dropped by to check on Niles’ vital signs, and was a lot more satisfied with the results since the alpha had been changed to a new cell with the correct medications. Simon was often in his company, but the beta also came by on his own to talk to Niles. Contrary to what Niles expected, Simon seemed intrigued by him and genuinely wanted to make sure Niles wasn’t lonely, which confused the hell out of the detective. He was torn between snarling at the beta and throwing the kindness back in Simon’s face, or latching onto someone who could potentially help in getting him out of there.

Others would come in, either looking for Simon or just making sure that Niles was still behaving. Ralph had come in for the first time after Simon was talking to Niles about hobbies, and it was mentioned that Ralph was an expert on butterflies. Taking that as an invitation to enter, the almost unstable omega seemed excited at being able to share his interest despite the façade of keeping guard. It left Niles even more confused than before, but the guard was actually very inquisitive and Niles didn’t object to his company.

The other two he’d come to meet were another warm beta named Josh, who was close with Simon and often brought him food and water…and a feisty omega called North. She honestly scared the shit out of Niles, a bit like the Asian woman who had first snatched him (Niles had since learned that her name was Tina, but he wasn’t sure how much good any of these names were going to do him in the long run. He was pretty sure nobody here would be on any law enforcement system). 

Acting out never crossed his mind whenever she was around, and he hated how she seemed to have new patterns of blood spatter on his shoes or leggings each time she appeared. There was no mistaking that she was part of what gave Jericho their ruthless reputation.

As a week became two, and then three, Niles was surprised when he had new company in his cell. By now he was used to the group which frequented his prison, so to see a familiar and haunting face turn up at the door made Niles’ breath catch. 

Niles had not seen the male omega who had scented him on that first day since he was captured. He’d secretly hoped the other man had found him a short term amusement, but it seemed like he was back. That was less than ideal.

Gavin smirked as he wandered into the room and nodded at Ralph behind him to close the door. Once it was just the two of them in the small space, Gavin leant up against the door casually and eyed Niles from a distance. “You’ve been behaving,” the mobster chimed. “Didn’t expect that given all the snarling you gave on day one.”

Niles’ eyes narrowed at the other man but he averted them after a while, turning instead to stare out of the nearby window. He couldn’t see anything out of it thanks to the frosting, but at least it was some natural light. “There’s no point, and it has caused me no harm thus far,” Niles muttered while shifting back on the bed that he usually set upon. All he had in the room was a bed, toilet, sink and bean bag chair. Nothing much to do except sit on the bed and think.

“Wise move. Makes a change to come across a knothead alpha who knows when he’s destined for a hiding,” Gavin smirked. “Keep that up and you won’t end up in trouble.”

The detective bristled at being talked down to by the omega, but just about managed to keep his tongue in check. He’d seen enough before to know that the man before him was pretty high up the ranking of Jericho - just how high was another question entirely. “I’ve managed to duck out of a lot of dangerous situations by keeping my head. I’m treating this no differently.”

Gavin barked out a laugh and wandered over to the wall next to Niles before leaning up against it again. The alpha was deeply unsettled by the cockiness of the mobster next to him and it messed with his head a little. While he wasn’t one to condone societal norms with how omegas were often treated (he’d seen it too often with his twin), being on the receiving end of this treatment was quite unnerving. He really didn’t like how he was being eyed up, almost like he was a treat. 

“Good under pressure, huh? Guess that’s why you’ve managed to keep a job with the DPD despite your obvious weaknesses as an alpha. They don’t often keep a hold of those who are anything less than perfect,” Gavin goaded, which Niles resented.

“Just because I’m hypersensitive to scents does not make me any less capable,” the detective snarled. “With the right medications I’m perfectly capable of carrying out my duty.”

A steely edge came to Gavin’s eyes and it made Niles freeze. He almost wished for the smugness again, the cold and assessing stare made him feel like he was being put under a microscope. “Sucks when biology decides you’re not good enough, huh?” the mobster snipped. 

Niles decided that he’d already dug himself enough of a hole. His captor didn’t seem to be a patient man or suffer fools gladly, so Niles elected for discretion being the better part of valour. 

The tense silence sat there for a few minutes before Gavin made a clicking sound in his throat and knocked on the door. “Ralph,” the other man barked, and Niles was worried when he saw the guard open up without hesitation. “Gimme the cuffs.” Chills went down Niles’ spine at the words and he suddenly wondered if fighting was the better option for whatever lay ahead. He wasn’t chained to the walls anymore, he could in theory overpower the other man with the element of surprise-

His thoughts stopped spiralling when Niles twigged that he was being watched closely. “Jumping me would not be wise for multiple reasons,” Gavin challenged. “You gonna be good, or am I going to have to get someone else in here to keep you in line?”

With thoughts drifting to North and her frequent bloodstains, Niles quickly decided that he didn’t want to know more about them. “I won’t fight so long as I don’t feel my life is in danger,” Niles offered. Contrary to what he expected, the gangster in front of him smirked in reply. 

“Good boy. Hands.”

Niles slowly stretched out his hands and saw how Gavin was fiddling with what looked like mini versions of the cuff around his neck. Unlike the collar, which had two capsules of the artificial scent that kept his alpha instincts a mess, these sturdy looking bracelets only had a single capsule in each. Since they were going to be situated on the scent glands on Niles’ wrists rather than his neck, he wondered whether the constant fog in his head was about to clear. If nothing else, it would be good to not have something so rough resting on the most sensitive part of his body anymore. 

It took only a few seconds for the bindings to be clipped onto Niles’ wrists, and only seconds later he let out a sigh of relief when Gavin held what looked like an electric key fob to the back of Niles’ neck and it caused the collar to drop off. Now that synthetic scent wasn’t clogging his every thought, but he definitely felt sluggish still. 

“You’ll still be under the influence of the boosters, but now you won’t be quite so aware of them,” Gavin explained while removing the capsules from the now-defunct binding and placing everything in the case he’d removed the cuffs from. “Markus will be round to check your vitals later tonight, so be honest if you’re reacting to this. For your own sake.”

Niles was thoroughly confused as to why the mobster was wanting to make sure he was in good health. Given why he’d been taken, it really didn’t sit well with him. “Why are you looking after me?” he asked with narrowed eyes. “I’m your prisoner, you don’t have to make sure I’m in any sort of shape which could be called healthy.”

“Would you prefer I starved you and put you back to the miserable state of day one?” Gavin challenged, but he could tell that Niles was asking because he couldn’t help himself. The alpha was a detective, he was naturally trying to put the puzzle together. Well, Gavin had come down here today to break the ice anyway, so it seemed as good a time as any to come clean about Niles’ real purpose. “You’re not exactly going to be a fit partner for an omega in heat if you’re emaciated, are you?”

A snarl rose from Niles’ throat and he recoiled on the bed. “I won’t willingly let any of you fuckers touch me,” he growled, but it was false bravado. He knew as well as Gavin did that, really, Niles couldn’t stop the mob if they were determined to have their way with him. That early fear from his first days was coming back strongly.

“Mmhmmm. And I think you’re forgetting that you’re a prisoner here,” Gavin purred, watching the fight drain from the alpha as he retreated further across the bed. Niles’ back was rammed up against the wall now and he was trying to get as far away from Gavin as possible. The mobster was acquainted enough with alphas by now to know that Niles’ argument was born out of fight or flight response – and an alpha’s natural instinct was always to fight, it was programmed into their genetics.

The way the other man recoiled and slumped had Gavin’s interest, however. Clearly Niles wasn’t just any knothead alpha, or he’d have taken a wild swing at someone by now in an attempt to break out. There were plenty of threats in the air, and they’d managed to get their containment down to an art now. Eventually, most alphas would snap and try to claw their way out, or at least first timers did. Niles however…it was true that he’d been left in much more trauma-inducing state in his first days, and maybe that was playing a part in the detective’s more tame responses now.

Part of Gavin felt a little bit of remorse for that. That sort of torture was not anything he’d ever condone the use of.

Even now, he could smell the tinges of fear in Niles’ scent, as much as the detective was trying to hide it. While it was something he wanted to a degree (if Niles was aware of the dangers of disobedience, then there was no danger of the alpha striking out), this constant stress was  **not** part of the plan. Ever since he’d heard from Markus how close Niles had come to a trauma rut, Gavin had been more careful. He had vivid memories of his own trauma inflicted heats, and for someone that he was slowly trying to bring on side and potentially share a prime heat with…that would blow that option apart completely.

Sighing, Gavin reached a hand up to check Niles’ neck. The detective froze at the mobster coming close and all but flinched at feeling Gavin’s fingers on his skin. It was gentle, however, and Niles stared at Gavin in confusion upon realising that the omega was inspecting the lines left behind from the booster collar. He’d not expected that. 

His astonishment grew when Niles detected some soothing pheromones in the air, and they were distinctly organic. Niles whined in his throat quietly and wanted to reach out towards the source, clawing at something natural and comforting after so long in an alien space. There was nothing untoward in the scent, he could pick that up – as much as Niles hated his hypersensitivity to scents, it did give him the gift of detecting even the slightest hint of deception. 

Assured that Gavin wasn’t trying to manipulate him for anything at that moment, Niles surrendered and slumped in relief. The gentle scent of smoke (both nicotine and pheromone based) mixed with cinnamon was all too easy to sink into. He could almost hear the other man smile even though Niles’ eyes had closed in an attempt to absorb this moment of peace.

“Good boy. That’s it.”

Gavin watched in interest as Niles submitted to him so quickly, not having expected the alpha to be so willing to give into the tiniest offering that Gavin held out. Since learning about Niles’ hypersensitivity he’d been doing more digging on how anyone who suffered from the condition reacted to different types of scenting. He’d learned just how affected they were by not only contact scent marking, but also (more importantly) that they actually responded far more to anything in the area. 

“You gave in far faster than I expected you to,” Gavin told the detective gently, to which Niles opened his eyes again.

He debated on what to respond with before deciding to be honest. Thus far his meeting with Gavin this time seemed to be less about intimidation and more about fact finding, so there was no use in lying. “Hypersensitivity means I can pick up if someone is lying from their scent,” the alpha told the mobster. “If you wanted anything out of me, or were trying to deceive me, I’d know. I don’t know why, but you’re actually trying to calm me down. No point in pushing that away out of spite.”

The mob boss smiled, impressed. “I think I’ve found out part of the mystery as to why you’re so advanced in the DPD,” he rumbled. “You’re a walking lie detector, if someone’s not on scent blockers and suppressing their scent.”

Niles scoffed, but also picked up the amusement in Gavin’s scent. “Basically. It’s shown its worth on more than one occasion, even if I’m more vulnerable to being affected by extreme pheromones.”

“Whaddya know, I guess I’ll have to keep an eye out for that in the future,” Gavin purred.

Now that there was a footing established there, Niles decided to confront the other man about his captivity. “You’re using me as a ransom to the DPD, aren’t you?” Gavin winked, impressed. “Why do you think they’ll not just leave me here? They don’t pay money to anyone.”

“That’s the party line, but I’m well aware that the DPD will stump up in the right circumstances,” the mobster smirked. “Just need the appropriate amount of pressure, and like a twig they’ll start to bend. Once you have a way in, it’s all too easy to make them snap and cave.”

Niles’ heart sank at the implications of that sentence. It sounded all too much like Gavin had someone high up the DPD on Jericho’s payroll, which he’d feared. The one small consolation of that was maybe Gavin was right and they might actually barter for his freedom, rather than just looking for him fruitlessly. That meant he might get out of there before he was used for anything…worse.

“And how long are you willing to wait for them? I don’t expect you to allow me to stay as a ‘guest’ forever.”

Gavin laughed heartily and Niles could detect notes of genuine warmth in the mobster’s scent. It was…not what he’d expected. “I’ve got a plan for you, don’t worry, precious,” Gavin rumbled as his hand shifted down from Niles’ neck to his collarbone. He’d forgotten that it had still been gently soothing the marks on his neck, but now the scent of the omega was right over his glands and Niles was all too aware of how close the other man was. “Keep being good for me, and we’ll see how that develops.”

Cool blue eyes met amused grey-green ones. “So I’m not going to be used as a fucktoy like the rest of the alphas you snatched?”

A snort was his response. “You might, you might not. All depends on how you play your cards, Detective.” The mobster’s scent was all over Niles now and while part of him recoiled at being pseudo-claimed by the other man, it was a much more pleasing sensation than being constantly smothered by the boosters that had been suffocating his senses for weeks now. “We’ve got time to find out.”

With that Gavin stood and looked like he was about to leave, but he then hovered over Niles’ form. The alpha was half tempted to recoil away, but the other part of him was more curious as to what Gavin would do. His answer came after a few seconds of pause, and a small sigh left him when he felt Gavin nosing just behind his ear. It was something strangely intimate, and Niles wanted to hate himself for enjoying it. There was something enthralling about the mobster’s presence though.

Gavin smirked at seeing how Niles didn’t move away, and the smallest movements of the alpha’s body gave away that he was enjoying the attention. The mobster left a feather light kiss on the other man’s neck and it had Niles whining in his throat again. Chuckling, Gavin pulled away and saw the confused stare in the detective’s eyes. “I told you on day one that I liked you and that hasn’t changed,” he whispered between them. “Depending on what side of me you get, I’m not that scary.”

Niles could only sit there, transfixed, as he stared at the other man. The moment was thoroughly ruined, however, when the door opened and Ralph’s voice echoed through the room. “Gavin. You’re needed, it’s important.”

Sighing in genuine disappointment, Gavin stood back to his full height and winked at Niles. “Keep yourself out of trouble and we can pick this back up later,” Gavin promised him. With that the mobster strode out of the room, leaving a very confused and bewildered detective behind him. As much Gavin was enjoying teasing Niles and seeing what the reactions were in reply, he was secretly relieved that the alpha wasn’t the snarly type. He actually seemed very gentle and empathetic, something that Gavin wasn’t used to encountering in Niles’ kind.

Maybe that was why Anderson had taken such a shine to Niles – he’d keep another alpha with a good heart close.

Once Gavin shut the door to Niles’ cell behind him Ralph turned his gaze back to his boss, an apology all over his face. “I know you said not to disturb, but Tina told me that you are the boss. This is something she needs your go ahead for,” he rambled.

“Hey, Ralph, chill,” Gavin reassured while ruffling the hair of the other omega affectionately. “I know you wouldn’t interrupt unless it was important, you don’t go against my orders unless there’s a damn good reason. Tina telling you to grab me is one of those,” he smiled. The slightly panicked edge to Ralph’s scent then receded, pleasing Gavin. “Where is she?”

“East door with informants. Said you wanted their information, that you wouldn’t want to wait,” Ralph repeated while calming down.

“All right, I’ll head down there now. Hey, do me a favour?” Ralph nodded as he waited for Gavin to go on. “You’ve been around Niles for a while now, are you happy that he’s not dangerous?” Again Ralph nodded. “Stick with him and make sure he’s not too lonely, yeah? Seems like he’s a good sort, and we might even be able to turn him to our side. Let me know if he gets agitated again. You’ve only got a couple more days till North and co are back from her heat, so you won’t have to hold down the fort for much longer.”

Ralph’s unease melted away and he smiled. “Niles is gentle, he doesn’t lash out. Even when stressed he holds himself back. He’s not like them.”

Gavin’s smile grew at that and he affectionately cupped the back of Ralph’s neck. “Nah, he’s not. That’s why we’re gonna make sure he’s a little bit more comfortable. Once North’s back you two can have a more detailed chat about what that means. You’ve been here a lot though, and I know you don’t like staying in the same spot for too long. You wanting to rotate back out to help Tina’s side of things?”

A shake of the head was Gavin’s answer. “No, I like being here. I like him, I think he’s safe. Is…that okay?”

In all honesty, Gavin was delighted at the answer. Part of the reason he’d put Ralph with Niles was because while Ralph was undoubtedly one of the most terrifying omegas in Jericho, he was also incredibly skittish and fragile. If he was even slightly threatened, he would go into full defensive mode. To hear that Ralph was at ease with Niles was exactly the endorsement Gavin was looking for. 

Considering the alpha was only meant to be a means to an end…he was proving to be more than Gavin expected. 

“Yeah, buddy, it is,” Gavin assured gently. “I’ll keep you here then. We’ll talk more after I’ve spoken with Teenie.”

Gavin then left that wing of the building and, for the first time in he didn’t know how long, had to consciously make sure he was in ‘boss mode’ for whatever was coming next. He’d actually found that little diversion very enjoyable. 

_ Maybe this might be achievable after all. _


	5. Secrets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Time for some more info, and a little more insight into the history of Jericho. 
> 
> Please bear in mind the tags for this one, and the implied nature of this universe. It's only very vague allusions, nothing explicit, but just in case it's a little triggering please be wary!

In the little time that Gavin had with running the mob (while in the middle of two operations, one which was coming very quickly to a climax), he spent as much of it as he could with Niles.

Since that first day in the detective’s cell, now that he wasn’t out of his mind on the boosters, Gavin was surprised at how quickly he warmed up to the other man. They pointedly avoided speaking about anything truly personal – that was a strange kind of dance that neither of them was braced for – but they often had some jousting matches about other topics. Corruption, bribery, crime routes…it was equal parts a game and fact finding for Gavin.

Contrary to what he’d expected, Niles was at least partially honest about what he knew with regard to some of the other gangs’ dealings. Gavin wasn’t sure if Niles was offering it to avoid being left in worse conditions, or if it was that the detective didn’t see the point in lying about that given his position, but it definitely helped with some of Jericho’s operations. They managed to take out one smaller group that were trying to encroach on a gunrunning route, while he’d managed to tip Elijah off to some technology that was being shuffled around in the back streets.

It definitely helped, and Gavin was inclined to be charitable for Niles letting that useful information slip. Most of it was garbage, but those little tidbits were enough for the detective to score an upgrade. 

In an effort to make him more comfortable, Gavin had Niles moved closer to the actual guest areas, rather than the holding cells. The detective still wouldn’t have access to anything that could be considered useful in escaping, but they did give him slightly more autonomy. Enough supplies for Niles to make his own food and a delivery of groceries on a weekly basis. It was up to him to use it as he saw fit, but he wasn’t quite being rationed anymore. It had become obvious after the first month that Niles had no real interest in trying to escape, since he wasn’t being kept in the worst of conditions.

The other thing Gavin did give the detective with the upgrade, was the materials to start writing letters.

Niles wasn’t to know just how close to home those letters were going (the alpha was blissfully unaware of the connections his twin and partner had to the mob still), but the detective had leapt at the chance to tell his family that he was in relatively good health. Everything was proofread by at least three people to make sure Niles wasn’t sending anything coded, but they severely doubted that the paranoia was necessary. 

It was in Connor and Hank’s interests to keep the communications secret since there was no middle man, per se. Everything was being handed to Connor directly from North, so the older twin was delivering everything himself. The passage was as secure as possible that way, and it also succeeded in mollifying Connor. Now having heard from Niles himself that he was being kept in at least a decent way and not under any significant duress (the detective was still a prisoner, so there was always bound to be an element of stress), Connor was getting on board with playing a more active role. So long as Gavin didn’t hurt his brother, the other Arkait was becoming Gavin’s personal spy. 

Everything was lining up perfectly – which of course meant that something was due to go wrong. It was an unwritten rule of the universe that things had to go to shit whenever Gavin got truly comfortable, and this was no exception.

“Are you fucking kidding me, T? This shit’s really gone down and we had no knowledge of it?” Gavin snarled. In a fit of rage, the mob boss hurled the tablet that he’d been passed at a wall and watched it shatter apart. Tina just raised an eyebrow at him, though her face was still severe.

“Yep. Looks like our inside man turned snitch and gave up that we were sniffing around the area,” Tina told him grimly. “Found his body with the note and the warehouse we’ve been scoping has been completely torched. Cops are crawling all over it though, we’re never gonna be able to get near anything that’s left.”

“I’ll take care of that,” Gavin growled while pulling out his personal tablet and bringing up some files. Tina’s attention turned to her own one chirping from its holder on her hip, and she unfolded the screen to see what Gavin had just sent over. “Use that shit as blackmail material to get a hold of the case notes and make sure there’s no trail of tongues that can wag back to us. We’re not just gonna sit on this one.”

After reading through the emails and swiping through various incriminating photos, Tina whistled. “Damn, the DPDs into their orgies, huh? When the fuck did we even find this stuff, I don’t remember there being an omega ring at Everglades?”

“There wasn’t, but all the wealthy businessmen in Detroit buy out the club four nights a year. More than one of those snakes will have links to any of the rings going around – and Eli plays his part well.”

Tina’s expression darkened at that. Gavin and Elijah’s bond wasn’t commonly known, only those closest to Gavin were aware of how the omegan mob boss in charge of Jericho and the heir to the Kamski technology empire were actually blood relatives. The only one beyond that close knit inner circle to know about the fact Elijah even had a twin was Chloe, and she wasn’t aware of Gavin’s true identity. 

Unfortunately, being one of the dominant alphas in the city came with…expectations. Especially at events like the one Elijah obtained all of that blackmail material from. Photos and videos from a hidden camera stashed on him, email trails with himself conveniently removed from all history of, phone contacts of anyone who was part of that ‘elite’ group who partook in those activities. He gave Gavin a goldmine of information anytime he attended, but nobody was under any illusions of what Elijah had to do to get such treasured intelligence. 

“How long ago did this happen?” Tina asked, knowing that confronting Gavin about the how was only going to infuriate him, and the question wouldn’t be appreciated. This was part of the reason Gavin trusted those in his inner circle so absolutely – they knew when to back off. 

“All this crap is from four months ago, not long before Eli came over. There were four different DPD captains at the club that night. Find one of them that’ll squeal and get him to dig up everything about that warehouse fire. Once you’ve got that, string him up somewhere with some big neon lights so he’ll be easily found. And make it messy for me, would ya?”

Nodding, Tina pocketed her tablet again. “You got it. Who should I let loose on the fucker?”

“Hmmmm, I would say Ralph but he’s been pretty mellow recently. See if North’s available, if not I can always get some alpha executions of my own under my belt. Not trusting anyone outside of us with this shit,” Gavin decided while kicking at the shards of the broken tablet on the floor. “And maybe send someone up here to clear this crap up?”

“Done,” Tina nodded, starting to stroll away before she paused at the door to Gavin’s office. Bemused as to why she’d paused, Gavin wasn’t expecting the next sentence to come out of her mouth. “He’s been good for Ralph, hasn’t he? We’ve not had a bad episode since he came here, and that’s been nearly three months now.”

Gavin’s expression softened at the mention of Niles. “Yeah, Niles has actually been a fucking blessing for Ralph. Makes me wonder what the fuck we’re gonna do once this is eventually over and Niles is gone, but we’ll manage somehow. At least now we know that if Ralph can trust someone, he’s more stable. Don’t know how we’d figure that out though.”

“We can work on it. You know…you’ve only got 5 weeks left. You gonna get a move on and decide on whether you’re gonna use him or not?” Tina prodded gently. “You know it’s messy to arrange plan B.”

“I fuckin’ know,” Gavin sighed. Tina was right though: really, Gavin only had two weeks left where he could call in his backup plan if Niles wasn’t gonna work out, and he really didn’t want to do that for multiple reasons. 

One, it’d be fucking awkward with all of the shit going on right now. Two, if he went with his backup plan then there was no way he could stay on site, which Gavin had really hoped to do for once. Three…because Gavin actually found the captive detective endearing. Behind all of the programmed blinkeredness and naïve faith about police institutions, Niles was a pretty decent human being. Gavin found himself  **wanting** Niles, even though he’d been looking for a short term fling for his heat. He really wasn’t sure what to do with that yet, but he needed to choose soon.

Time was running out.

“I’ll work all that crap out, all right? Just focus on this epic fuck up first, then I’ll do what I need to do,” Gavin told her slowly. “We need to stop this mess from getting any worse before I can even think about my goddamned heat.”

“Don’t stress yourself out too much, you hear me? That’s the last thing we need,” Tina warned, but her tone was warm as she came up to clap a shoulder on her closest friend’s shoulder. “We’re gonna get ‘em, Gav. Promise.”

The empty sentiment made Gavin laugh. They didn’t make promises, cause that implied you actually had some way of controlling your fate beyond whatever luck had in store for you. It had become a running joke between them, however, that if they were to promise something, it was their effort of ‘we’ll do it or die trying’. “Thanks, T.”

Smirking, Tina mock saluted him before walking away – but not without tossing another comment back to him first. “Why don’t you go enjoy your boy toy’s company for a while? A nice distraction while you can!”

Gavin shook his head fondly, knowing that he had far too much work to really indulge in that right then.

But it wasn’t the worst of ideas…

* * *

It had gotten to the point now where Niles had all but given up trying to make sense of what was going on in his damn head. He’d been a prisoner of Jericho for so long now that he was beginning to wonder if the isolation from the world at large was warping his own point of view.

Still, he couldn’t complain at the more recent changes. While he was still locked within the wrist cuffs 24/7, he’d grown so used to the artificial scents that it wasn’t really a factor anymore. It dulled his senses, that was for sure, but it wasn’t anything like it had been before. Gavin had been telling the truth with that at least, and the extra autonomy he’d been given with this new room and bathroom (which was almost like a hotel room) was truly a gift.

Niles now could sleep better with a more up to scratch bed, and the little touches like a kettle, microwave and tiny kitchenette meant that he could be mostly independent, even if he wasn’t allowed past the boundaries of his new cell door. Ralph was still his ever present guard, but he occasionally went off duty now if someone else was with Niles for any length of time. In fact, more often than not Ralph would disappear with North or Simon, especially if Gavin was the one with Niles.

_ Gavin… _

Ever since he’d learned the name of the mobster that was seemingly Niles’ ‘host’, he’d been all the more curious about the omegan man. While he was definitely someone that wasn’t to be crossed, he didn’t come across as most other mobsters did, from what little experience Niles had with them. He’d not been on the front lines a huge amount, more being part of the operational side of the Narcotics unit being Hank’s partner, but he’d seen enough perps in interrogations to know Gavin’s sort.

Cocky, arrogant, ruthless. Someone who stepped on others for their higher aims and didn’t hesitate to put their enemies into the ground.

While Gavin fitted all of that, what tiny snippets he’d seen with some of those who monitored Niles had the detective wondering about Jericho’s mechanics. Maybe it was just something as simple as the fact it was mostly omegas in charge rather than alphas, but there wasn’t the feeling of imminent carnage that Niles had been expecting. There was a definite tension in the air at all times, but it wasn’t necessarily ‘explosive’ tension; it was more the expectations of doing what needed to be done for the mob.

Niles couldn’t see out of any of the windows in his new rooms still, but thanks to the addition of the actual bathroom now, he could hear things through the piping. It had taken some careful work to remove the mufflers that had been installed to dampen the voices coming through the metalwork, but it had given Niles a lot of useful information.

Wherever he was, it wasn’t well insulated for noise cancelling between the floors. His first instinct was that it was a warehouse, but there were other possibilities. An older office or apartment block, for example, or even a disused prison. The walls were all stonework with metal reinforcement from what he’d seen of his first cell, and the way the heat veritably escaped confirmed to Niles that it was no different here.

Definitely somewhere built in the 1900’s, most likely. Maybe even the 2000’s or 2010’s, but he doubted that this area was any younger than 30 years old. While there were a lot of those areas in Detroit, not many of them would have the space that the Jericho mob needed to run their operations. Niles’ gut instinct was that he was somewhere outside of the city since all of the places that fit his knowledge were run by alpha families. 

Then again…it had always been an assumption that someone in Jericho had connections to the alpha crime families. Maybe this  **had** belonged to one of them, and somehow Jericho seized it? Niles still didn’t know enough about the history of this place to be entirely sure how Jericho had managed to build themselves so high without the alpha families succeeding in ripping them to shreds, but at this point Niles had a reluctant respect for the mob. They might do a lot of shady business, but they didn’t need to treat him as well as they had done. Honestly, he was in better shape here than most convicts were in prison.

His musings were interrupted by a gentle knocking on the door, and he was surprised to see Josh enter with someone new. She was a black woman with silver hair and a very business-like image, but there was a soft look to her face. He didn’t need to smell her to be able to tell that she was an alpha – but just like Markus, very much not your typical alpha.

“Niles, this is Lucy,” Josh introduced. “She’s who has been helping us to supply your prescriptions, and she insisted on seeing you before writing up anything else. You’re due for more pills in four days, correct?”

While he hated that the mob were so aware of his medical history, Niles nodded in confirmation. “Yes. It’s…nice to make your acquaintance, Lucy,” he greeted, though the warm smile on her face made him feel at ease. 

“And you, Niles. I always appreciate having a face to put to a name.” She then gestured to the table and chairs at the far side of the room. “If you would be so kind, I’ll just take a few notes before we begin. Josh, can you make sure that no-one will be in hearing range? One thing I will not compromise is doctor-patient confidentiality beyond what has already transpired.”

Josh nodded and strode back out of the room again, leaving Niles with the new stranger. Lucy released some of her scent as the two of them took a seat, and it had Niles sighing in relief. He’d never thought he’d miss the smell of alphas so much, but it reminded him of work, of his home life. Once he was seated, Lucy showed Niles an electronic fob that he recognised – it was the same one that Gavin had used to free him from the booster collar before.

“Now, it took a lot for me to convince Gavin to let you off those cuffs for a while, but I assured him that the best way to gain accurate medical data was without the boosters clogging your senses and bloodstream. Before I do that, however, I will ask you if you’re going to try anything, Niles? This is a leap of faith, and I wouldn’t advise abusing the trust being placed in you here.”

Trust was one word for it. Niles knew this was a test more than anything, but he wasn’t going to be stupid and jeopardise his chance at a bit more freedom. “I won’t lash out or attack, I assure you,” the detective confirmed, and the doctor smiled confidently. Without hesitation she let swiped the fob over the locks. 

The cuffs weren’t painful, but it was nice for Niles to not have their weight on his scent glands all the time. He let out a potent sigh of relief, and then stared at Lucy curiously when she hadn’t stopped smiling. “You were very confident that I wouldn’t strike you,” he noted, which had the other alpha laughing.

“Well, there are a few reasons for that. One, you’ve been well behaved so far and I didn’t expect that to change out of the blue. Two, you’re also aware of who you are a captive of, acting out wouldn’t be wise. And three…you ought to know that those of us with hypersensitivity can smell a lie a mile away.”

Niles was floored and stared at Lucy with wide eyes. He quickly reached out to catch hints of her scent now that he had more control over his sense of smell again, and it confirmed the lack of a lie. He knew that there were other alphas out there with his same disability, but to find one that was a doctor (and in  **here** of all places)…he was stunned. “How?” was all he managed to ask.

Lucy chuckled while unpacking her equipment “Some ‘disadvantages’ can be of great help in fields, so long as you have people in the right places who can help to prove your worth. I was fortunate in that my parents are both successful alpha doctors, and lobbied for me to be allowed to become a therapist. That later allowed me to train as a doctor myself, but I know it is not easy. Anything less than a ‘perfect’ alpha is shunned by society. When Gavin told me about you having hypersensitivity, I knew how I could help,” she told him. “What about you? How did you manage to make headway into the DPD?”

Despite being sceptical about admitting anything, Niles could smell there was no ill intent from Lucy. She was genuinely curious, and that meant he let his guard down. “My work partner,” he sighed. “Hank has looked out for my twin and I for years, ever since we were teenagers. Our mother worked with him, and told Hank that my dream was to work in the police. After my diagnosis though, I was heartbroken. Within a year of our parents dying, I suddenly found myself with a place in the police academy, complete with a recommendation from one Detective Anderson.”

A fond smile came to Lucy’s face. “So you’ve had a little help to get you on the ladder too, but you’ll have had to prove yourself since then. Given you’re a Detective yourself now, I can only assume you’ve done that?”

“I’ve earned my place now, I feel. True that I still meet those who would sneer at my medical records based on something I’m proud of having, but sadly the world doesn’t see it that way,” Niles said as Lucy began to monitor his vitals.

“You’re looking in much better shape than when you were first prescribed your pills, that’s good,” Lucy beamed. “Your stress levels are still slightly elevated though and that concerns me. From all the reports I’ve been getting, you’re being looked after?”

“I am, I just…” Niles couldn’t shake the memories of his first days in Jericho, and the implication of why he was being kept there. “Lucy, how much do you have to do with Jericho? Are you an active member, or just someone who helps them?”

The doctor hummed in thought. “Would it make a difference to you either way, detective? I’m still aiding them in either circumstance.”

Niles chuckled bitterly. “You have a fair point there. I can’t get away from how I ended up here, what I was taken for. The revelation of my identity has probably spared me from that fate, since I’m now more valuable to Jericho as a hostage, but I’m unable to stop thinking about what happened to all of the other alphas taken.”

It was several seconds later that Lucy answered, and it was spoken very quietly. “If you’re worried about being forced against your will, Niles, I can assure you that it won’t happen. Jericho is many things, but they are not rapists.”

“You’ll forgive my scepticism, Lucy, but given they snatched so many of us I find that hard to believe.”

After replacing much of her equipment and instead moving to drawing blood, Lucy gave Niles enough time to let out some restrained breaths before she went on. “Since you’re a detective – and you have clearly been dwelling on this – let me ask you something. Why do you think they take alphas from the streets? Those that are at the bottom of society?”

“For simply that reason, they are expendable to society,” Niles replied bitterly. “No-one would believe that alphas would be forced by omegas, least of all for this purpose. We’re ‘too superior’ to be used like that.”

Lucy laughed ironically. “Well, I think you’ve just proven that the smokescreen works. Even a detective currently on the inside can’t see beyond prejudice.”

“What?” Niles looked up at her in confusion, now wondering what she was meaning.

“You’ve shown one version of things, yes. That’s the way that alphas would see this situation, but that’s because of their natural instinct for dominance. They pity and look down on most people below them. Now, think a little more outside of the box. Why are all of those alphas out on the streets? Down on their luck, homeless, drug addicts…Take your pick, there are a lot of reasons.”

“People that wouldn’t be missed if they were snatched,” Niles pointed out, to which Lucy sighed. 

“Stop thinking with your alpha head and think with your  **detective** head. Why else would Jericho want people that were at rock bottom?” Niles kept silent, but the detective admitted to himself that it was partially out of stubbornness at that point. “Think about your own experiences here, Niles. Do you really think that you’re the first alpha to be made more comfortable here, given that all of this exists around you?”

Niles had wondered about that himself, but he wasn’t willing to think about it too much before. Now though… “The only reason this would be here is if they wanted alphas to be at ease, but I know from my own experience that it doesn’t happen that way.”

Lucy’s eyes turned soft in understanding. “You know…those two guards who were here with you first aren’t part of Jericho anymore. After news filtered through that you were in such severe distress, Gavin made sure they wouldn’t live to regret it.”

That made a chill run down Niles’ spine. Part of him hated that two men had been killed so callously, but another part of him was…glad? If Gavin had killed them, it had to mean that the mobster was severely displeased. “That sounds a little strange.”

“Perhaps, but not really,” Lucy said knowingly. “The collar and cuffs are devised to keep alphas subdued, it’s true, but they are mostly a safety feature. Alphas tend to strike out and look for a fight, so of course a group of omegas wouldn’t feel safe letting them wander around without some form of submission. There’s a reason the cuffs are so versatile and can be so finely tuned, they’re used a lot more than the collars. 

“A collar is usually used for interrogations as that messes with basic pheromones levels at a much higher intensity. Cranked all the way up, it’ll drive an alpha to hallucinations and insanity. You had a taste of it, and that was the collar only at 30%.” Her stare turned piercing. “You’ll understand why a lot of alphas give in when put under its vice.”

Seeing that Niles was more than a little unnerved, Lucy went on. “The cuffs on the other hand leave alphas more mellowed and less dependent on their senses. It’s nothing like as excruciating. Jericho uses those on all of the alphas they pick up on their runs. You being left in the collar was never intended, but once it was worked out that you were a detective…things changed.”

Niles stared at Lucy intently. “Are you trying to convince me that Jericho is better or worse than I already expect? I’m getting mixed signals here, Lucy.” 

“Good, then I’m explaining this right,” she smiled. “The members of Jericho aren’t heroes, but they do have a very important purpose in society. For alphas at the top of the pyramid, they’re an existential threat. To those in the middle, they don’t exist and aren’t really aware of what they do. To those at the bottom, they can be a divine intervention if they accept what is offered to them.”

“Divine intervention? How could you call stealing alphas to satisfy omegas’ heats a  **‘divine intervention** ’?” he scoffed.

“Simple. Alphas on the streets are all there because they have nothing to their own name. No shelter, food, water, money…they can get most of that here, so long as they’re willing to help.”

Something clicked in Niles’ mind and Lucy smiled as she saw it happen. “Wait, are you saying that Jericho  **pays** any alphas that are here?”

“Not all, but some of them. Anyone captured on a run is given the terms for what is expected of them. They help any of the omegas through their heat and make sure they don’t get hurt, then they can have any of what I mentioned before. Some shelter, food and water for a time, and then some money afterwards if they want it. Why do you think Jericho has such an extensive network of information? A lot of the homeless  **want** to get caught on the alpha runs because it gets them off the streets for a while. They don’t get hurt or forced here, Niles. If they aren’t willing to do it, they’re simply released back onto the streets.”

The detective was stunned. So the gang really didn’t force any of the alphas they caught? That… it didn’t add up in his head. “Why?”

Before Lucy could answer him, the pair were interrupted by a knocking at the door and Josh wandered in with a pained looking Ralph. “Apologies, Lucy. I know you’re-” Josh started, but the doctor didn’t allow him to finish.

“Set him down on the bed and I’ll tend to him,” she ordered, and Niles stepped back to watch what unfolded in astonishment. Ralph was scratching at his face as if trying to tear away something on his skin, right over the painful looking burn marks all down his right hand side. He was also whining in deep distress, and it made Niles’ stomach curdle. There was nothing worse than the sound of someone in such pain that they sounded as if they wanted to just sleep and never wake up.

“Shhhh, young one, shhhh,” Lucy soothed while releasing her scent just enough to wash over Ralph’s own scent glands. It stopped his frantic scratching and Niles winced when he saw the blood on Ralph’s face. “That’s it, shhhh.”

“It burns. It burns, Lucy!” he screamed before curling up on the bed, whining more deeply in his throat. 

“Not for long, little one. You’ll be back with us soon,” she assured while nodding to Josh. With practiced arms he helped to steady Ralph against his frame, holding the omega steady as Lucy filled up another syringe. Niles wanted to stop her as she quickly injected into Ralph’s cheek, right where Niles recognised the remains of a black tattoo, but he saw that Ralph’s agony was quickly easing. His hands weren’t fidgeting anymore and it only took about half a minute for the omega to go slack in Josh’s arms. 

Once that happened, the beta’s hold corrected to something a lot more reassuring as opposed to restraining. Lucy then grabbed some rubbing alcohol and a needle complete with thread. The ease with which they all fell into a rhythm had Niles stunned. Clearly this was something that happened a lot from how well practised the routine was, but he’d not seen anything like this in his time within Jericho or with Ralph. He’d been able to tell the omega was somewhere on the spectrum, but this seemed much deeper.

After Lucy finished stitching Ralph’s face up, the omega looked to her with an apologetic expression. “I disturbed, I’m sorry,” he blurted out. “Please don’t tell Gavin. I’ve been good for so long!”

“Oh, Ralph, sweetheart, you know Gavin won’t be mad,” Lucy assured. “Did you tell Josh that you were spiralling?”

“I…I said my face burned, then I don’t remember,” the guard told her tearfully, to which Lucy smiled brightly. 

“That’s perfect, Ralph! You told Josh you were in pain and he brought you to help. Does it hurt anymore?” Lucy asked while running a thumb down his cheek.

“Not skin. Head. Head always hurts more.”

Niles’ heart lurched at the desperate tone of Ralph’s voice. He recognised all the signs of trauma from Ralph’s reaction and he couldn’t help but go on to auto pilot. Without really thinking about it, Niles stepped closer and let loose with his own scent gently. Much to his surprise, Ralph latched on to it despite Josh and Lucy’s scents around him. 

“Worry? You’re worried for me? Not scared?” Ralph asked quietly, to which Niles shook his head.

“No, I’m not scared of you,” he clarified. “For you, as I can see how much it hurts and haunts you, but not of you. So far you’ve never given me any case to worry, and you clearly didn’t want to lash out at anyone. I’m glad you’re feeling better.”

Astonished, Niles gasped when Ralph reached for his hand and squeezed it. “You’re not like them. You’re good, like here. Like Lucy and Markus, like Josh and Simon. You’re not like them.”

Something in Ralph’s tone struck a deep chord within Niles and he turned to Lucy in confusion. The other alpha didn’t say anything, but she could see from Niles’ eyes that he was beginning to see just why she sided with Jericho. There was so much more to the story than just the mob, and he had to wonder as to who was at the heart of it. That wasn’t even his detective mind at work – Niles wanted to know for himself.

Now that he knew Jericho was less of a bear trap waiting to snap and more of a rabbit hole, Niles was all but ready to jump in head first and see where it landed him. Whether the world would be upside down on the other side or not he had no idea…but he was determined to find out.


	6. Merciless

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fair warning, the tone of this chapter goes through some serious whiplash. Please bear in mind the tags, as many of them will come into action here.

Niles could tell that the tone within Jericho had markedly shifted. 

It wasn’t down to any way that the people who visited him acted in any particular way, but he could now get a vague sense of their scents since the boosters to his senses had been lowered again. Now it was more just a kind of vague itching on his scent glands, it wasn’t causing him any sort of arousal or distress anymore. Enough that Niles could be permanently aware of how easy it was for Jericho to cripple him again should he step out of line, but it was becoming clear that no-one really thought Niles would cause any trouble.

The trust was being extended in both directions, and it was undoubtedly making Niles’ life easier.

All of his letters to Connor were still being scanned for anything which could compromise the gang in any way, but Niles wasn’t inclined to do that. He was honest with his twin, telling Connor that he wasn’t being harmed and things were more on the positive. On the whole, Niles was pretty comfortable with the hostage situation since he was being left mostly to his own devices, even if the boredom could be tedious.

Since seeing Ralph’s near breakdown, however, Niles was definitely viewed more positively by a few people. 

He’d not spoken with anyone beyond Simon, Ralph, Lucy and Markus, but he’d seen a few of the others hovering around the main door. North’s scowls were nothing like as severe, and even Tina was regarding him with a small smirk. He really didn’t understand it, but he wasn’t complaining.

The only person that Niles wasn’t so sure he enjoyed the shift of was Gavin.

Every time the mobster wandered into Niles’ cell the detective froze on the spot. He couldn’t get the borderline intimate interactions between them out of his head, and Niles knew it wasn’t healthy in any way. There was no way he should find the other man attractive in the slightest or want to spend more time with him, but Niles couldn’t deny the draw between them. Despite being a gangster, Niles could sense something behind the ruthless façade that was slowly crumbling as time went on.

Stress was not a good look on Gavin, but it was clear that the omega was brooding on something every time he appeared.

Conversation between them was sparse the first couple of times Gavin reappeared, and it was only just as Gavin prepared to leave the third time that Niles decided the mobster wanted something every time he came. Broaching that topic earned an icy glare, but it was enough for Niles to read between the lines. Gavin was coming here because it was a temporary reprieve from whatever was lurking beyond Niles’ cell door, no matter how fucked their individual situation was.

Niles knew his next idea was definitely not his brightest, but he wasn’t going to back down now.

When Gavin next appeared in Niles’ cell, the detective stood to stand face-to-face with the gangster. “I didn’t think you’d be back,” Niles stated casually, which caused Gavin to scoff.

“Yeah, well, I wasn’t about to let you getting nosey deprive me of my enjoyment in coming here, dipshit,” he replied dryly while plopping down in a chair and kicking his feet up on a nearby table. “Heard you got trashed by Lucy and Simon at cards.”

Groaning, Niles sat himself down on the bed. “I did not get ‘trashed’, though I was beaten relatively soundly,” the detective argued, which only caused Gavin to smirk wider.

“You got your ass handed to you, and your alpha pride can’t take getting spanked,” Gavin cawed in triumph. “I was beginning to wonder if you had any damn pride at all for how you usually act, finally you’ve shown some alpha traits.”

“Not everyone fits the stereotypical alpha, Gavin,” Niles snipped while staring at the other man hard. “You’re still stressed.”

Gavin shrugged nonchalantly. “Being a gangster’s a stressful job, don’t let all the cash and flair ever blind you from that. Only one way you ever get to the top of the pyramid and stay there, and that’s by making sure everything keeps running like a well-oiled machine. The minute someone picks up on any stutter, you’ll get offed by someone – most likely one of your own for being the weak link. A mob ain’t gonna get far with a shitty leader.”

“So that’s why you come here, to show  **me** your weakness? Because I’m not going to try and cut the head off the snake?”

Silence settled between them for a few seconds, Gavin sitting there calmly as Niles’ mind ran at a hundred miles an hour. He’d known for months now that Gavin was high up in Jericho, it was pretty clear from day one, but that little interaction was unmistakable. Gavin had essentially owned up to being the leader of Jericho. 

A slow smirk came to Gavin’s face after the stony pause and he winked at Niles. “You’re the last person in a position to dethrone me, so yeah. I come down here to look at a pretty face for a while and not have to deal with all that other crap that everyone throws me. Got plenty of others who can filter through all the shit and come to me with the truly important stuff.”

The mobster then stood and sauntered over to where Niles was sitting on the bed. “Why? Got something to say about it?”

Niles stared at Gavin defiantly, the pair locked in a staring contest for a few seconds before Gavin chuckled again. The detective flinched at feeling a hand run up his arm and wanted to hate himself when he realised that he liked the sensation of it. This shouldn’t be happening, he shouldn’t be craving the touch of his fucking  _ captor,  _ but there was no denying that Gavin didn’t have to treat him as well as he did. All Niles was, in essence, was a bargaining chip. A way to ransom a sizable sum of money from the DPD. The rest of what went on around him, the mobster didn’t have to do.

“I don’t come here just cause you’re no danger to me, Niles. I come down here because you’re actually quite enticing…for a detective anyway.”

Blue eyes met grey-green ones and Niles found his voice had retreated when a hand rested on his cheek. He was frozen in place, torn between his mind and body yearning for different outcomes. It was a situation he’d never been in before and it was jarring. “Relax, I’m not gonna force you into anything,” Gavin told him quietly, “but I think you want this, huh? Mind might be screaming at letting a gangster so close, but your body’s telling a very different story. Even with the cuffs I can still smell you.”

Niles swore under his breath and forced himself away. Gavin allowed Niles to push him back and for the detective to storm away to the other side of the room, coiling into himself as he stared hard at the frosted windows. Self-revulsion rolled over Niles at having let himself show such weakness – Gavin was a mobster and a very dangerous one too. He should know better than to think anything other than that, but clearly the months of being a prisoner were showing. He’d submitted to the gentle touches for only a few seconds and suddenly dealt Gavin an overpowering hand. 

Before Niles could truly slip into that spiral of thoughts, however, he heard the door click open and then closed again.

The room was too silent for it to be someone else to have entered, so Niles turned back only to find that he was now alone. Gavin had gone.

Most of him was relieved so that he could collect himself, but another part was resentful that the gangster had riled him up only to leave while the alpha was clearly distressed. 

He couldn’t let himself get into that state again.

* * *

It took another week for Niles to see Gavin, and in that time he’d managed to work out at least some of what was going on. Everyone was tired and ragged, and from the small snippets of conversation he’d overheard, it was clear that something big was going down. Maybe this was Jericho gearing up for another alpha run or maybe they were about to storm another gang (seeing everyone so armed up leant towards the latter), but Niles wasn’t sure if he liked the change. More and more people were vanishing by the day, whatever they were up to required big numbers.

Eventually, Josh came to Niles’ room and escorted him somewhere else with Ralph. That was when Niles came face-to-face with the mob boss again. 

He was more braced for Gavin’s tricks this time, however, and he’d steeled himself in preparation for this meeting. What the detective wasn’t braced for was Gavin’s first statement. “Never thought I’d come across an alpha who  **wanted** to suppress their instincts. When Lucy’s requisition for suppressants came across my desk I was more than a little surprised. You’re pretty unique, Niles.”

“I’m not going to leave myself in such a vulnerable position again,” Niles bit back, not missing how both Josh and Ralph left the room so that the pair were alone. It was a relief to have the space in the conference room that he’d been brought to, and Niles’ eyes instantly fell to the view from the windows. He’d been expecting more glass, not to see a vast body of water that went on for as far as the eye could see. 

It made his heart sink in a sense. There weren’t many places where you could get that view in Detroit, and there was no way that Jericho was operating in such a public and busy area like the docks. The only sensible explanation was that this wasn’t his home, who knew just where they were keeping him?

Maybe that’s why Gavin had him brought here – to show Niles just how out of his depth he really was.

“Mmmmm. Well, you can’t stay on this cocktail for long. Suppressants plus your blockers and the booster cuffs is a pretty potent mix, both Lucy and Markus agree that you can’t be on this for more than two weeks. You’re gonna have to make the choice which one of the blockers or suppressants you’ll be cutting out,” Gavin told him.

“Because of course I won’t get the choice about the cuffs,” Niles spat bitterly, to which Gavin spun to him with a lazy smirk.

“No, but I could put you in some other ones if your behaviour has run out and you’re going to cause trouble now. It would be a shame after so many months.” Beyond the teasing tone Niles could sense the distinctive threat in Gavin’s words. It was a definite demand to ‘ _ rein it in, before you piss me off _ ’.

Niles was pissed at the other man but not stupid. He didn’t want to lose the freedom to write to Connor, so he’d have to pick his battle here. “Fine, the blockers then,” Niles hissed while turning back to the door. “Are you done with me yet?”

“Far from it, Niles. You’re gonna tell me why.”

Spinning back once more, Niles’ face was a mixture of suspicion and confusion and Gavin’s statement. “Excuse me?”

“You’re gonna tell me why the fuck you’re putting your body under such strain again. After your near miss with a stress rut months ago it’s a stupid ass move to cause yourself medical distress,” Gavin stated while crossing his arms and leaning up against the window. “Never took you for someone self-destructive.”

“You don’t know me!” Niles hissed. “I’m just a fucking captive in this game you’re playing with the DPD, not someone who actually gives a damn! Stop pretending to give a damn, I’m not gonna fall for it again! You’re a mobster, the leader of Jericho, and I’m a detective. We’re natural enemies, so stop trying to entice me otherwise!”

Niles was panting after his rant, but the anger was a desperate mask for the hurt. He was angry at Gavin but mostly at himself for letting his loneliness get to the point of finding that he wanted someone else, least of all the person that was holding him here against his will. He’d seen just how cruel Gavin was on that first day and Niles had fallen for his ploy since then. Now though, he just wanted to be left to the isolation so that it didn’t mess with his head anymore.

He’d gotten so caught up in his thoughts again that he’d not noticed how Gavin’s face had scrunched into a deep frown, or how the mobster’s eyes were assessing Niles intently. Something clicked in Gavin’s head at managing to pick up hints of Niles’ scent again, despite the suppressants that he knew were in the other man’s system. That…wasn’t good.

There was no way that Gavin should have been able to smell that as he knew Lucy’s dosage was high, at Niles’ request. If Niles was still managing to break through that, he was already highly stressed. The sour notes in the air were a clear indication of that. For all that Gavin had been threatening, he didn’t want Niles to slip into a stress rut. They were miserable and he didn’t want the detective to get hurt.

Sighing quietly, Gavin pushed himself up from the glass. The sound of the mobster moving was what Niles picked up on and the detective glared at the omega as he came closer. A quiet snarl built in his throat as Gavin all but invaded his personal space again, but it died when he felt Gavin fiddling with the cuffs. Temporary fear coursed through Niles as he thought it was about to be increased again, but it vanished when he felt the effects of the artificial boosters dissipate. 

Now Niles was beyond confused, and he regarded Gavin warily. “You’re hypersensitive, you can smell lies,” Gavin told him softly. “Then scent me out now when I say that I don’t want you hurt, and I’m not playing an emotional game with you.”

Scowling, Niles was tempted to just ignore Gavin out of spite…but a large part of him wanted the mobster to be telling the truth. He gently sniffed the air and picked up on the omega’s subconscious scent, which confirmed that Gavin was telling the truth. Eyes wide, Niles’ posture changed from aggressive and flighty to something far more sedate. Now seeing that the other man wasn’t ready to flee anymore, Gavin smiled and reached up to cup Niles’ cheek.

“I wasn’t lying the other day when I said you were enticing, either. You really are like a light that I’m drawn to,” the mobster confirmed while nosing at Niles’ neck, right around his scent glands. It was something so intimate that Niles wanted to melt where he stood, but he forced himself to at least concentrate on Gavin’s scent. If the mobster lied, he had to know.

“Then why…? Why do all this? Why’d you just leave the other day?”

Gavin pulled back to give Niles a stern look. “I’m a lot of things, Niles, and a lot of what you suspect about me is probably true. One thing I would never do, however, is force someone.” Niles’ confusion was evident and Gavin sighed. “You know why we do alpha runs, for whenever omegas need partners for their heats. How much do you know about omegan biology?”

“Some, we get more extensive training about omegas in the force. How come?” There wasn’t any hostility in Niles’ voice anymore, and he could see as well as smell that Gavin was being both open and honest now. He wanted to know the truth at last.

“Prime heats fucking suck,” Gavin told him bluntly. “There’s no way to satisfy them without fucking an alpha, it’s like biology  **forces** you to submit to someone as a way for you to get your rocks off. It’s bad enough for female omegas, since most alphas only see them as someone to get bred, but male ones? You’re not even worth that much, you’re just a desperate hole who needs to get fucked. It’s pretty damn shameful to those of us born this way, but we also don’t have a lot of control. We…we’re dependant on someone else.”

Niles watched Gavin take a step back as he ruffled his hair in frustration. “It’s a dependency that we all hate, and one that alphas  **know** . We literally need them to stop ourselves from going mad off the hormone overload. You can skip a few prime heats but it’s pretty intolerable, even if you have someone else to help you through it that isn’t necessarily an alpha. Me, personally, I despise the fact that they’re part of our biology enough that I avoid them at all costs. Can only do that for so long though before your body pushes you to an ultimatum: fuck an alpha, or it’ll fuck you from the inside out.”

From his years in the force Niles knew that the suicide rates among omegas were far higher than either of the other secondary genders, but he’d never had it spelled out in such brutal detail before. It was little wonder that most omegas detested how they were born, even his twin had said as much before. If this was how omegan males saw themselves…yeah, Niles could understand the venom in Gavin’s voice completely. “So you take the alphas to give your omegas the choice?”

Gavin’s aggression was tempered as he watched Niles closely, and the mobster realised that someone had told Niles part of the story already. It was the first time he’d heard the word ‘choice’ come out of the alpha’s mouth. “Yeah. Some persevere for a couple of years, some would much rather swallow down the shame and just get it over with. I bring in so many alphas because at least then it feels like  **we** have a degree of choice, and that we don’t have to go begging to someone for a knot.”

It was an enlightenment that Niles hadn’t realised he’d needed, but it made him nod in understanding. “So how do you and I fit into this?”

“I asked Tina to find someone for me, but I didn’t want just any prick off the streets,” Gavin told him bluntly. “Originally wanted it to be a contact, but when she found you…She knows me too well,” Gavin scoffed. “You were only meant to be on the boosters enough to make sure you weren’t a threat, for you to be in such distress was not intentional. Especially given I wanted you to come to me willingly.”

Niles’ eyes widened and he swallowed. “You want me for your prime heat?” His dick traitorously twitched at the thought and Niles felt himself flush with shame. That little statement shouldn’t have made him so eager. 

“Yeah, but like I said before, I’d never force you. When I saw how you reacted the other day, I took it for what it was. You were scared, I wasn’t gonna invade your mental space like that. I’m a lot of types of asshole, but you’re not a mark of mine or just a bargaining chip. I’ve never lied when I made any moves on you,” the mobster told the detective.

Surprised at the earnestness, Niles held Gavin’s stare. “I was scared because I hated that you were right. I  **did** want you,” the detective whispered into the air. Two seconds later Niles heard footsteps, and he found the mobster right in front of him. There was still a dangerous aura around Gavin that Niles doubted would ever go away, but it seemed a little blunted now. Almost like Gavin was tempering himself to make sure Niles knew the enormity of what he’d shared.

“Just ‘did’, or still do?”

Niles swallowed hard and closed his eyes as he looked away. “Still,” he admitted. After a couple of painful seconds of silence, Niles moaned quietly when he felt Gavin at his neck again. Only this time the mobster wasn’t simply nosing at the glands there, he was leaving kisses instead. 

“Good, that’s exactly what I wanted to hear, babe.” 

Turning towards the voice, Niles was caught off guard when Gavin fused his lips together with Niles’ own. The alpha groaned at the emotional surge and couldn’t help himself from reaching out to pull the omega closer. He could feel Gavin smiling into the kiss but Niles didn’t care at this point. Niles knew this wasn’t some sort of ploy or emotional blackmail, Gavin had been earnest – and as much as Niles hated himself for it, Gavin was just as alluring to him as he apparently was to the mobster.

Their moment was shattered by a buzzing of the intercom at the centre of the table and Gavin snarled at it. He pulled back long enough to slam his hand down on the button and bark out a snappish ‘what?’, clearly displeased. North’s voice came through from the other end, declaring that she had a notable present for the mob boss. 

Gavin’s eyes widened in realisation and a slow smile spread across his face. “Atta girl, North,” he praised. “Anyone we know?”

**_“Yeah, fucking Floyd Mills. The bastard flipped on us.”_ **

Niles could  **feel** the fury emanating from Gavin at the announcement. He knew the name, Floyd was the man behind the Eden Club. The detective had been down there often enough due to the nature of the sex club, and he’d met the man a few times. He’d always come across as a bit of a snake, but Niles had never thought that Floyd would be someone on Gavin’s payroll. 

“Bring the fucker up here. Time for an example to be made.”

The tone was chilling and Niles wanted to get as far away from Gavin as possible at that moment. It was such a sharp contrast from the almost open and charming man that had been kissing him a minute ago, Niles didn’t know what to do with it. Gavin’s rage melted away for a moment as he stared at Niles again, before the mobster kissed his detective once more. 

“Stay at the far end of the room, Niles. You’ll get a good education on the shit that goes on behind the scenes.”

Niles hated that he didn’t have a choice at that moment, and part of him wanted to snarl at Gavin for turning the boosters back to their usual settings. He was quickly ushered away though, not having noticed Tina nearby at all and flushed at realising the other omega surely would have seen him and Gavin together. She didn’t say anything though, and her hold on him was gentle as he was pulled away to the other side of the room.

Only a minute later Niles saw North dragging through another man, blood all over his clothes and breathing heavily beneath the black sack on his head. A startled yelp ripped out of him as he was viciously kicked in the back of the knee and crumpled to the ground. Niles could hear Floyd hyperventilating from where he was, but it would be out of Floyd’s line of sight. He winced at how sharply North yanked the club owner’s hands from where they’d been bound in front of him to behind his back, the female omega was in no mood to be merciful. 

Gavin’s eyes narrowed at Floyd’s whimpering before he looked up towards North. “Well? What did you find?” he demanded.

“The bastard had 29 new omegas from the trafficking ring we were tracking, all of them being prepped for a goddamned auction,” she hissed. “Got the registered buyers too, so we’ve got a nice little hit list.” 

North held out a touchpad and Gavin skimmed over it quickly, finding some familiar names. “T, take this and come up with an action plan,” Gavin commanded while tossing the data pad towards Tina. She caught it easily, everyone else watching as Gavin ripped off the sack around Floyd’s head off roughly.

Another whine escaped from Floyd’s throat as he readjusted to the light of the room and Niles’ eyes locked on the collar around his neck. Even from here the detective could smell the artificial pheromones and he shuddered in memory of what it had done to him before. Indeed, Floyd looked in severe distress and Niles had to wonder just how many others were tortured by Jericho like this. It was obvious that the club boss was being made to suffer. 

“Reed, I-”

The sentence was cut off in the blink of an eye, Gavin quickly pulling a knife from his pocket and slicing it across Floyd’s cheek. Blood spattered on the ground from the deep laceration and Niles’ eyes widened at the viciousness of the move. Floyd’s scream was potent but it was cut off when Gavin smacked the man’s other cheek hard, effectively silencing him. “I ain’t got time for your shoddy excuses, Floyd,” Gavin hissed. “We had a fucking deal.”

“I’m sorry! I just-“ Another smack, to Floyd’s slashed cheek this time, had the man whining before changing tactics. “The Stern family paid me 7 digits to set up the auction, they were looking to fundraise! I knew where to get some quick omegas so that’s what I did!”

“Oh that’s not all we found,” North spat, driving her heel into Floyd’s foot so that the man screamed again before being silenced by another slap from Gavin. “The bastard’s got another 11 omegas chained up in the bottom of the club for his VIPs. Most of them were new, but some of them were barely legal. Every single fucking one of them vouched that you’d brought them there against their will.”

Gavin’s eyes narrowed at the statement and his gaze switched to North. “Where are they now?”

“Being taken care of,” was all North said as she reached down to the collar and cranked the boosters up again. Floyd’s whine was loud and Niles was forced to bring up his shirt sleeve to his nose in an effort to try and dampen some of the smell. It was  **awful,** artificial and designed to cripple. The memories associated with it were hard to keep buried and he looked away from the scene in front. He was grateful that Tina wasn’t forcing him to watch, but it meant he also missed how much she was watching  **him.**

“What about Eden? Ransack the place?” Gavin asked. North just smiled while wandering across the room for a remote, to which the window shifted to instead show images from a live news report. Niles’ eyes widened at seeing the feed of the Eden Club in flames, and it was obvious that they had given up trying to bring it under control. All the fire department was doing was trying to stop it from spreading to other nearby buildings.

“Better,” North chimed. “Took a full data dump before we torched it, and everyone being held there is free now. All of the omegas are with us for now, the rest we chased out before it was set alight.”

“Nice work,” Gavin praised before turning his gaze back to Floyd. “You’re one stupid bitch, Floyd. Did you really think you’d manage to pull this off behind our backs? You know what Jericho can do, and yet you really thought you could pull a fast one?”

“Please, Reed…You don’t mess with the Sterns, they’re up there with the Kamskis as one of the most powerful crime families! I knew they’d kill me if I refused!” Gavin’s stare narrowed for a second before he turned away, as if watching the images of the Eden Club. “What was I meant to-”

Niles jumped violently at the gunshot which went off, and it took him a couple of seconds to twig everything that had happened so quickly. Floyd’s corpse hit the floor in a bloody heap from the bullet to the brain, Gavin’s gun still smoking from the quick spin and draw. The mob boss spat at the dead man’s body before shooting again at the crotch for good measure. Niles’ blood ran cold at the look on Gavin’s face.

He’d known what Jericho was capable of, and by extension that meant he knew what  **Gavin** was capable of. Seeing it in such brutal detail though was horrifying.

Gavin holstered his gun again and nodded to North, who turned off the smart glass as it flipped back to a window. “How many are here?” he asked her coldly.

“We’ve got 53, some are in bad shape,” she told him, softer. “They’re gonna need some serious help.”

“They’ll get it,” Gavin decided while casting a disdainful eye towards Floyd’s corpse. 

“What about him? Stick his head on a pike somewhere?” North joked.

The mob boss’ eyes lit up at the idea. “Nah, not just the head. Shove his whole body on a pole and leave him as a warning sign for the Sterns to find. Let them know just who they’re messing with.”

North smirked at him. “You’re the boss. You gonna help me clean up this mess, since it’s your doing?”

“Hell no, I ain’t going near that sack of filth,” Gavin sneered. “Get someone else to take care of this trash heap. C’mon, we need a debrief. Tell me all the shit that went down.”

Gavin strode out without so much as a backwards glance, leaving Niles’ mind reeling with what he’d just witnessed. 


End file.
